The Fox Bride
by Cheshire Pandacat
Summary: Apprentice medicine shaman Sawada Tsunayoshi arrives in a village that's sure its plague is caused by kitsune. A traveling Demon Hunter agrees, but Tsuna's not so sure. Being kidnapped by the foxes gives him the chance to find out, but can he solve the conflict before he's forced to pick a side? AU, 6927, eventual smut. The first part of the Medicine Shaman Tsuna series.
1. Chapter 1

A/Ns: I have wanted to write kitsune!Mukuro AU foreveeeerrrrrrrr.

Note: I am using my own mythology and I do not give a damn how accurate it is/isn't to any other. ^_^ Also I am fudging a looooot of setting details (it's an AU so I can do what I want ok), so if something is _painfully _inaccurate, or just unclear, please let me know! :D;;

I do not wish to get anyone's hopes(?) up because I'm more often than not crap at completing things (side-eyes Adversities of Accelerated Aging, which I still intend to finish someday, and avoids looking at KHR EXPAND, which is probably dead whoops). BUT. I do have personal hopes of turning this into a proper series with installments for the other guardians, and I already have roles in mind for them later down the line, so. That's why they're not in this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

Warnings: Eventual smut. (KINKY smut, if I have my way.) Some gore & animal cruelty, but it's not in this chapter so I dunno yet how graphic that's gonna get. If there's anything else worth warning for, I don't know yet but I'll include a warning for it in the relevant chapter if it comes up.

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The Fox Bride

Chapter 1

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"Mom, I think we're lost," Tsuna said anxiously, eyes darting around the forest. Trees clustered together claustrophobically close, and nearby rapids meant the ground was damp and slippery, slick pebbles on the river's banks that gave way to squelching mud. To top it all off, they were on a steep downhill slope, and if there was a path, they had yet to find it.

Tsuna shifted the large medicine box he carried on his back, hoping the weight would keep him balanced and not knock him down. The latter was seeming more likely by the minute.

"Mom," he said again, plaintively. On top of everything else, the sun was beginning to set.

"Don't worry, Tsu-kun," his mother called back to him cheerily. She seemed to be having no trouble with the terrain despite carrying the heavier box with their luggage on her back. "I'm sure we'll reach the village soon. And there's always tomorrow if we don't!"

Tsuna managed to force a smile, but when Nana turned away, his expression fell. He didn't want to camp out again. They'd lucked into an uninhabited cave last night, and a small woodsmen's lodge the night before that, but there was little chance of a third stroke of luck, and camping on ground this steep would be uncomfortable at best, if not outright dangerous. And that was _before _wild animals or sudden bad weather were factored in.

Besides, this mountain reeked of magic even to a young apprentice shaman's nose, and he didn't want to risk bumping into whatever the source of it was. Because chances were it was either a land god or a kitsune, and neither of those were known for being forgiving of trespassers in their territory.

Nana and Tsuna continued to make their way down the mountain at the highest speed conditions allowed for, but as the late afternoon became evening there was still no sign of their reaching the valley any time soon.

When only a few rays of sunlight remained over the horizon, all of a sudden the scent of magic spiked, and Nana stopped, turned around, and said brightly, "Ara, look, Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna swallowed past a suddenly-dry throat, and looked over his shoulder.

Standing on a small rocky protrusion halfway up the cliff was a gigantic seven-tailed fox, more than thrice the size of your average horse, with pitch black fur and eyes that glowed pale blue even with no light to illuminate them.

Still smiling, Nana clapped her hands together in prayer and bowed, and Tsuna hastily followed suit.

"Forgive us for intruding, Lady," Nana said. "We're en route to Nemachi Village. If I may be so bold as to enquire, my son and I would be deeply grateful for any direction you're willing to give us."

The kitsune's eyes burned into them for a minute more, and then she pointed her muzzle slightly to the right of the direction Nana and Tsuna had been travelling, and twitched her tails twice.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lady," Nana said, beaming appreciatively up at her. "Once my son and I are settled in Nemachi, we shall return to make an offering for you."

The kitsune dipped her head, then turned and, air rippling, disappeared.

"Here, Tsu-kun," Nana murmured, lighting a lantern and handing it to him. "I think we can manage to travel for two more hours, don't you?"

"O-okay, Mom," Tsuna replied shakily. Nana smiled and patted him on the head reassuringly.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Tsu-kun. Spirits and demons can tell a shaman who wants to heal from a shaman that wants to fight, and since we're the former, so long as we're polite and make all the proper offerings, they'll leave us be. It's our job to help them as much as it is to help humans, after all."

"Ye… yeah," Tsuna mumbled. But it was one thing to know that in _theory,_ and something else entirely to hold it up alongside the stories of people being possessed by spirits or _eaten_ by demonshe'd heard straight from witnesses' mouths. And that was a _big _fox. Seven tails!

"She was certainly beautiful, wasn't she?" Nana said as they resumed walking. "I bet she's raising cubs on this mountain. I know a fellow mother when I see one."

Great.

Still, sure enough, two hours later, Nana and Tsuna managed to stumble into Nemachi Village.

It was middling-sized for a village so deep in the mountains, with a population of maybe a thousand people across ten thousand acres (half of it rice paddies), sitting beside the lake at the base of the river they'd followed to get here, with the main road passing right through the middle of town. Tsuna hadn't seen the road since two villages ago, so his shoulders sagged with relief when he caught sight of it.

Nana checked the posting they'd taken from the Oomori Village two days ago, then made a beeline for a lodge on the edge of town, and rapped her knuckles against the cast-iron bell at the short pathway's entrance.

"Good evening, sorry to bother you," she chirped without waiting for an answer. "I need a room for two, potentially long-term. Do you have any available?"

The front door slid open a fraction, and Tsuna could just make out someone squinting at them suspiciously.

"Awfully late for travelers," a voice of indeterminate gender rasped. "How do I know you aren't a pair of foxes trying to pull the wool over my eyes?"

So the villagers knew they had kitsune nearby, Tsuna thought. Wonderful. That meant he and his mother would probably be pestered a _lot _to do work they most assuredly wouldn't do.

"Ah, we came through the mountains, and we would have camped for the night a few hours ago but we lucked into some directions, and I didn't want to waste any time in getting here," Nana replied, smiling. "We saw your posting in Oomori. I'm Sawada Nana, a medicine shaman, and this is my son and apprentice, Tsunayoshi. You're having some trouble with a virulent illness here, aren't you?"

Nana had continued to chatter amicably even though the innkeeper had thrown the door open wide at the words _medicine shaman._

"Yes," the – woman, Tsuna saw, face haggard and gray – affirmed, bustling up to them. "You came to help us?" Nana nodded, and the innkeeper let out a gusty sigh of relief, belatedly straightening her askew haori. "Thank the gods for you, Sawada-dono. We have room. Plenty of room. Please, come in."

The innkeeper, Emiko Gouda, led them to what was likely one of her nicest rooms and promised to serve them a late dinner shortly. Nana and Tsuna set up the futons and made a minimal effort at unpacking, and when Gouda returned she had a simple meal of rice, pickled vegetables, and some dried fish for them, with watery tea to wash it down. Nana encouraged her to join them so she could ask her about the sickness going through the village.

"Ah, the first cases were three months ago, I think, right in the middle of spring," Gouda said heavily. "It starts with just a case of lightheadedness, maybe some weakness in the arms or knees, nothing really troubling, but it's constant, and it steadily gets worse, draining you and draining you until you're too weak to get out of bed. Or even take food or water. And it's spread to half the village, now. Nothing our healers tried made any difference. Three weeks ago, those that caught it first died, and they were like husks, all skin and bone. That's when we sent out the postings for a shaman. Either sort would do, though a medicine shaman's better to help the people after the main cause is dealt with, I suppose."

"The main cause?" Nana asked, blinking. "You know what's causing it?"

Gouda's fists clenched on her knees. "It's not a natural disease, is it? Elsewise our healers could cure it. That means a demon's curse – "

"Or angry spirits," Nana added, but Gouda flapped her hand dismissively.

"We've done nothing to anger any spirits or land gods, and there are _foxes _in the mountains, Sawada-dono, we all know they're there. You're lucky you missed them, traveling that way. And foxes don't need a reason to make our lives a misery, the monsters do it for fun," Gouda bit out.

Tsuna restrained a flinch at the word _monsters. _His mother was much better at maintaining appearances, and kept a sympathetic face throughout.

"I see," was all Nana murmured. "How many people have died so far, Gouda-san?"

"Six, two a week since the deaths began," Gouda said, eyes going haunted. "…Including my husband. My oldest boy's all but gone as well."

Nana leaned forward and placed one of her hands over Gouda's. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Gouda-san," she said, sharing in Gouda's bereavement. "I'll take a look at your son now. There might be something I can do to ease the pain, or get him to take some food or water, at least, even before the source of the illness is resolved."

A spark of hope lit Gouda's eyes, and Nana quickly gathered some supplies from the medicine box, pausing only to glance over her shoulder at Tsuna and mouth, _Offering._

Tsuna jerked with comprehension. Once his mother and Gouda had left the room, he bundled up some incense, a few plums from their travel rations, and took the bowl of rice his mother had discreetly set aside from her dinner.

He slipped out of the inn, eyes darting nervously as he made his way back towards the forest. If these people blamed the kitsune for the disease, it would be _really _bad if they spotted the traveling stranger's son making an offering to them, medicine shaman or not.

Tsuna did his best to keep excess sounds to a minimum, and once he was deep enough in the forest to catch the scent of magic – which wasn't nearly deep enough for comfort – he stopped at the first flat stone he saw.

He set down the rice and plums, lit the incense, and waved it in the familiar pattern his mother had taught him, if somewhat clumsily. Then he stuck it straight up in the ground, clapped his hands together, and bowed.

"Thank you again for your assistance," Tsuna said, hoping the kitsune wouldn't mind how awkward and uncomfortable he knew he sounded.

He was about to turn and go when a girl's voice whispered, "It's not us."

Tsuna froze, and glanced in the direction the voice had come from. A fox perhaps the size of a wolf edged warily out of the darkness, nervous violet eyes darting from him to the offering. She wasn't all black like – her mother, probably – but rather had a white lower jaw, chest, and belly; her three tails were tipped in white as well.

Three tails. That wasn't too scary. And her body language was tense, but not aggressive or territorial. Okay. He could deal with this.

"What's making the villagers sick," she went on in a rushed mumble, "it's not us. …I don't think. If it is, we're not doing it on purpose, and I think this sort of thing has to be on purpose, so it can't be us. …I don't think."

Tsuna swallowed, took a deep breath, and then crouched down to be eye level with her, and managed a shaky smile. "Okay. Thanks for telling me. Um… if… it's okay for me to ask… do you know what's causing it?"

"No," the kitsune cub replied. Well, _cub_ might not be the most accurate term – though still young, at that size and with three tails, she was verging on adolescent if she hadn't hit that stage already. "Mama and big brother… don't know either. The humans here don't like us, so we stay away. The other villages nearby have prettier humans anyway," she added with a matter-of-fact tail-swish.

"Ah, o-okay," Tsuna said, hoping his eye hadn't twitched too visibly. Kitsune had weird priorities. "My Mom and I… we'll try to figure this out. But maybe you shouldn't come too close to Nemachi until we do. It'll be dangerous for you."

The fox tilted her head, and Tsuna had the faint impression that she was smiling at him. "…Thank you for the warning. Good luck, cute human boy."

Tsuna squeaked, and the kitsune darted one last shy look at him before grabbing one of the plums in her mouth and darting away, disappearing into the darkness.

Tsuna let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and then hurried from the forest. He was in such a rush to get back to the inn that he didn't see the woman on horseback until she nearly ran him over, her horse tossing its head and nickering.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," Tsuna yelped, dodging out of the way.

Before he could escape, though, the woman said frostily, "Wait, boy."

Tsuna stiffened and looked up at her anxiously.

He knew right away that this person was _dangerous._ It was tough to get a good idea of her age, because her smooth complexion, regally sculpted features, and piercing gray eyes didn't mesh with the threads of silver in her fine black hair, which she wore down to her waist and bound back loosely with a clip at the base of her neck. She had on a shrine maiden's garb, but Tsuna knew a shaman when he saw one.

And she was _not _a medicine shaman.

"C-can I help you, um… my lady?" Tsuna asked weakly.

She considered him coolly. "You are a medicine shaman's apprentice, are you not? Who is your master, boy? And where are they? You're too green to be allowed to run about by yourself in the middle of the night."

"Um, y-yes, um, my mother is my master – Sawada Nana, and um, I'm Tsuna, Sawada Tsunayoshi, um, Mom's – my master's at the inn, and, um, I was just… um, getting some fresh air?" Tsuna babbled and ended on a hopeful note that the scary Demon Hunter would let him go at that.

Given how long she stared at him, eyes narrowed and calculating, Tsuna began to tremble with the fear that she would make further demands of him, but at last she closed her eyes and snorted softly.

"What a small, shivery thing you are," she said, voice airy and disdainful. "Very well, then, Sawada Tsunayoshi, lead me to this town's inn. I believe your master and I have come here for the same reason and I would like to seek her aid in this endeavor. Having a medicine shaman to deal with the mewling humans for me while I eradicate the vermin will be most helpful."

"Oh, uh, um… o-okay," Tsuna said, hoping that didn't sound as much like a whimper to her as it did to him. "And, um… m-may I… ask your name?"

The woman regarded him coldly for a long minute before finally replying, "Kotone. Hibari Kotone. Now take me to your master, little animal."

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End A/Ns: Hi, Hibari's mom. (I have had a very specific characterization in mind for Hibari's mom for quite some time so I hope you guys enjoy her~ 8D Especially given the lack of Hibari himself in this fic, probably. *coughs*)

I hope it was obvious from the narrative, but yeah, the setting of this AU is a loose interpretation of feudal-ish Japan. Very loose and ish.

omfg I am so stoked about this fic series you guys I really hope my muse manages to stick with it, I am knocking on all the wood for good luck. o.o


	2. Chapter 2

A/Ns: Hells yeah I use a day with absolutely no other obligations to write fanfic.

Warning: The animal cruelty is in this chapter and it's not too graphic I don't think, but it is there so I figured a heads-up was a good idea.

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The Fox Bride

Chapter 2

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Tsuna knelt in the corner of their room at the inn, hands clenched on his thighs and trying not to fidget anxiously. After brief introductions yesterday, Kotone had been granted her own room by the ecstatic Gouda and retired for the night, only to come striding back into Nana and Tsuna's room first thing in the morning like she owned the place.

"Mmm, I think I'd like to verify that the kitsune are the source before targeting them, though," Nana was saying thoughtfully. "It would be a shame if – "

"I doubt they're the source," Kotone cut her off flatly. "Fox curses are more likely to affect the environment or livestock than they are the people, and even if they were to construct a plague, it wouldn't be something as low-key and unimaginative as this one. But I don't care. I came here to hunt foxes, and hunt foxes I shall. You and your apprentice can handle the disease. The villagers will be more accepting of the possibility of an angry spirit once the foxes are dead and they see their people are still sick."

"Hibari-san – "

"Call me Kotone-sama."

"…Kotone-sama, I can't in good faith condone hunting kitsune who aren't harming anyone," Nana said, for once without a smile on her face. "Surely, if we just cure the illness – "

"I don't care about the illness," Kotone said flatly. "And I don't care if you _condone _my actions, Sawada Nana. The villagers will support me, and turn against you if you object. But even if that weren't the case, I would still hunt the foxes. Because when I want to do something, I do it, and no whining from a soft-hearted medicine shaman is going to change my mind."

With that, Kotone got to her feet and left the room, the perfect picture of graceful pride.

Nana sat in silence for a moment, then sighed. "Time to get ready, Tsu-kun," she said, putting her smile back on, even though it didn't reach her eyes. "We still need to announce ourselves to the Village Head, and after that we'll visit some of the sick and see what we can learn about this illness, okay?"

"…Y-yeah." Tsuna got to his feet. "But, um, Mom… Kotone-sama…"

Nana's smile turned sad. "There are many different types of people in this world, Tsu-kun," she told him simply. "It's your choice whether to accept each person you meet as they are, or try to change them, or put yourself at odds with them. I've chosen to save who I can here. Will you come with me?"

"…Yeah."

The warmth returned to Nana's eyes, and she patted Tsuna on the head affectionately. "That's my good boy. Thank you, Tsu-kun. Now let's get going."

The Village Head was a man named Jorou Kawamachi, as haggard and weighted down by worry and illness as Gouda, but angry instead of grieving. Still, he welcomed them warmly, and told them how much he appreciated having medicine shamans to care for the sick – and hopefully help them through an imminent recovery.

"Imminent?" Nana repeated.

"Yes, Kotone-sama already stopped by," Kawamachi said, grim pleasure in his eyes. "We're putting together a hunting party to go into the mountains this afternoon. An amazing woman, she is, wastes no time at all. And I'd like to have your apprentice along, if you can spare him." Tsuna froze as the man went on, "Obviously you yourself are needed to treat the sick here, but having a medicine shaman who can treat us if those damn foxes use their magic against us would be right helpful, Sawada-dono."

"Mmmm, well, I need most of our supplies with me to treat the sick, and Tsu-kun doesn't have the training to handle kitsune magic by himself yet, plus I'd rather have him with me to help care for people here," Nana said, all with a bright smile on her face. "And speaking just as a mother, I'd prefer that he not be put in such danger. He's too young to go demon hunting."

Kawamachi forced a tight smile in return, but rubbed his hands together awkwardly. "Well, you see, Sawada-dono… Kotone-sama specifically instructed me to bring your boy along. Every little bit helps, after all, and you can make free of our healers' stores if you don't have enough supplies of your own to spare. We'll do everything we can to keep Tsunayoshi-kun safe, I promise. He won't be asked to help with the hunt at all, he'll only be there to help the wounded. Our party will meet at the edge of the forest at noon, so please send him over then."

And before Nana or Tsuna could raise any protest, Kawamachi made a hasty retreat.

After a long minute of silence, Nana turned to look at Tsuna. "What do you think, Tsu-kun?" she asked him. "I won't make you go if you don't want to."

Tsuna felt like he'd been submerged in ice water, cold and unable to breathe. His mother had always taught him to respect demons and spirits both, to live and let live, to offer assistance to anyone or anything that needed a medicine shaman's help. The mother kitsune had helped them find their way yesterday, and the adolescent female from last night had been sweet and shy and willing to show herself and even speak with him in the hopes that he would believe her and get the humans here to leave her and her family alone.

That meant two of the probably-three kitsune knew he was a medicine shaman, and that he was trying to help. What if they took his presence with the hunt to mean that it was safe to approach? And how could he just stand by and do nothing while kitsune who'd done nothing wrong were hunted down and slaughtered?

But there definitely _would _be human casualties from a hunt like this, and they weren't bad people either; they were just sick, and scared, and grieving. The hunt would happen whether Tsuna joined it or not. But if he were there… it was possible his presence would mean the difference between life and death. Even if just for one person, his going could save someone, while his staying wouldn't help anything. Sure, his mother could use him for errands, but his help probably wouldn't make a tangible difference here the way it would with Kotone's hunt.

And, strangely enough… Tsuna's instincts were telling him to go. No, that he _had _to go. That his presence _would _mean the difference between life and death for someone.

His mother had taught him that a shaman's instincts were keener than a normal person's, and that Tsuna's especially were particularly strong.

Besides, if he refused, Kotone was sure to make him pay for it. His instincts were also warning him not to get on that woman's bad side.

Tsuna took a deep breath, let it out in a shaky gust, and said, "I'll go with them, Mom."

Nana just nodded and hugged him tightly. "Let's put together a medicine box for you."

So it was that at noon, Tsuna walked to the edge of the forest with his very first personal medicine box on his back instead of his mother's, a rolled blanket bundled with a change of clothes and some basic necessities tied on top in case the hunt lasted for more than a day.

Kawamachi and Gouda's second son Daichi both smiled at him when they saw him, relief writ clear on their and all the others' faces. Except for Kotone, whose stony expression didn't change at all, but Tsuna thought he saw a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. Then she turned away from him, and Tsuna swallowed dryly as he saw the naginata strapped to her back.

Nemachi didn't have much in the way of horses, so only half the party of about twenty men and women were mounted, and Kotone's big black stallion was easily the most impressive animal there. Tsuna had to walk, of course, and he was stationed at the very back of the group, only one woman on horseback behind him to bring up the rear.

They spent hours hiking up the mountain, following the river as much as possible since it was easier to stay together and the horses had better footing. The air was thick with kitsune magic to Tsuna's senses, so much so that it wasn't until late afternoon that he realized there was a thread of something else in the mix. The feeling was faint, like a stray hair brushing against his arm. When Tsuna picked up on it the first time he halted in his tracks, confused, staring at the river.

"Something wrong, shaman boy?" the woman behind him asked, polite but impatient to continue.

"Um… does the river always run this high?" Tsuna asked, trying to place what was bothering him about it.

The woman glanced at the rapids, head tilted as she considered the question. "It's a bit higher than usual this year," she said at last. "But we had a lot of snow last winter, so might be it's just the extra ice melt."

It's summer already, Tsuna thought to himself. Would winter ice melt really still have an effect on the river?

The woman was eyeing him warily, though, so he just thanked her and continued walking. But he filed away to tell his mother later that something could be affecting the river. It might be nothing, or it might be the kitsune, but a shaman always paid attention to what their senses told them, and to the world around them. Nana always said that it was a medicine shaman's job to listen to the land as much as to those who lived on it.

Tsuna was exhausted from the rigorous trek up the mountain by the time the sun started to set. He was just thinking that they'd probably stop to set up camp soon when an animal screamed from further ahead and the stench of blood and angry magic hit so hard that Tsuna thought he might be sick.

The woman behind Tsuna charged forward on her horse, leaving him standing there gaping with confusion.

The hunting party had strung out over the course of the day, and the forest was thick here, so he couldn't see most of the others – and those he could see quickly disappeared up ahead as they hurried to catch up.

For a long minute, Tsuna just stood there shivering. Whatever was happening, he didn't want any part of it. He didn't.

Then the wind carried shouts and curses and the sounds of battle to his ears – and buried beneath it all, the thin, faint cry of a young girl in pain.

Tsuna went rigid, then took off running.

He quickly came to a crest where the land dipped back down again briefly, and chaos spread before him. At least five people and two horses were on the ground, motionless, and half those remaining were streaked with blood, hollering encouragement at each other as they tried to fend off a snarling, black-furred six-tailed fox just a little taller than a horse, mismatched red and blue eyes glinting with fury as he clashed with them. Tsuna's eyes found Kotone just as she plunged her naginata's blade into the seven-tailed mother kitsune's throat.

The six-tailed fox let out a roar that made the air tremble, almost drowning out a weak cry to Tsuna's right.

Stomach churning, he whirled away from the carnage and followed his instincts to the one whose life he was here to save.

Daichi and another man stood over the young three-tailed fox, a knife in her right eye and her belly slit open. Daichi was about to drive his wakizashi into her chest, but Tsuna lunged forward and grabbed his arm, yelling, "No, don't, stop!"

"If you don't have the stomach for it, go see to the wounded, medicine shaman," Daichi said sharply, shoving him away. He raised the wakizashi again, and Tsuna threw himself over the kitsune's body, eyes screwed shut and bracing for impact.

It never came.

After a few seconds, Tsuna opened his eyes and looked around.

Daichi and the other man were gone. No blood, no bodies, just… gone.

The air was thick, so thick with kitsune magic. And the clamour of battle had gone silent.

Tsuna hesitated a beat, then didn't waste any more time thinking about it. He slung the medicine box off his back and dove into it, grabbing out what he needed to save the kitsune's life, and a lantern to work by.

He worked in a fervor almost like a trance, gingerly mopping blood away from her stomach with a rag before beginning the tenuous and fragile process of stitching the wound closed. Her flesh was hot and shivering beneath his fingers, her sides heaving, weak whines emitting from her throat at longer and longer intervals, and at a lower and lower volume.

She was so, so lucky. If the wound had been even a centimeter deeper, her internal organs would have been damaged; any more than that, and they would have been spilling out, and there would have been no hope of saving her.

But there was hope. He could save her, he _could. _That was the mantra Tsuna repeated over and over to himself as his fingers cramped up and her blood soaked his hakama.

Finally – it had to be at least an hour later, night had fallen fully – Tsuna tied off the final stitch. He checked to make sure she was still breathing, then reached for the knife still embedded in her eye. Not deep, thank the gods – if he took it out and stitched up that wound, she'd lose the eye, but –

A gust of hot, angry breath against his back stopped him cold.

Body trembling with exertion, exhaustion, and fear, Tsuna craned his head around inch by inch.

The male kitsune stood over him, mismatched eyes glittering with malice… and suppressed hope?

"Will she live?" the fox rumbled in a deep, rich voice, gaze intent on Tsuna.

Tsuna swallowed dryly, somehow managed to pry chapped lips apart, and rasped, "…Maybe?" When the kitsune growled, Tsuna went on hastily, "I, I think so. I mean, I still need to, um. Her eye. Treat her eye. And..." Tsuna cut himself off, realizing what would probably happen if he continued.

"_And?_" the kitsune bit out.

Tsuna choked down a whimper, and continued weakly, "And… it's possible her injuries will get infected, so I n-need to observe her closely until I can remove the stitches. I think. My mom's a master medicine shaman," he went on quickly, "if we can get your sister to her, Mom could save her for sure – "

Tsuna cut off with a squawk as a long back tail wrapped tightly around him. Another took the medicine box, and the other four gingerly lifted the smaller kitsune.

The pungent aroma of kitsune magic overpowered Tsuna's senses, and his consciousness faded as the male fox whirled around and took off into the night.

* * *

End A/Ns: For extra tragedy, Mama Kitsune is (was) totally Aria. Just FYI. 8D (But then what about Yuni, you may be asking. GOOD QUESTION says I while cackling like mad. ...But, uh. Don't expect an answer any time soon. *coughs*)

A naginata is a type of polearm, a wakizashi is a kind of slightly-curved short sword. Google 'em if you want to know what they look like. :)

If I have my way I will spend the rest of the day writing more of this and get a lot of chapters done that would be totally awesome but uh no promises obviously.

Also if I have my way the fun shippy stuff begins next chapter~ ;D (Because nothing says "fun shippy stuff" like "don't you dare let my little sister's guts spill out," am I right?)


	3. Chapter 3

A/Ns: This chapter is just an extreme amount of set-up. I tried to keep it as interesting as possible despite that, though. 83;;

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The Fox Bride

Chapter 3

* * *

Tsuna came to when he was unceremoniously dropped on a cold stone floor. He jerked up onto his hands and knees, blinking blearily, then flinched when his medicine box was all but shoved up against him.

"Treat her eye, now," the male kitsune said coldly, standing over Tsuna and the female kitsune, who'd been (much more gently) laid down beside him.

"O… okay," Tsuna whispered. He set up his lantern again but didn't give much attention to his surroundings other than that they were in a cave, instead devoting all his focus to the small furry body next to him. Before he started, though, he paused, and tentatively pulled out the small kettle from the overnight bundle still roped to the top of the medicine box, then worked up the nerve to say, "Um, is… is it possible, um… hot water…"

Tsuna flinched again when the fox lowered his head to take the kettle's handle gingerly between his teeth, then strode away with it, returning not quite ten minutes later with the kettle now filled with near-boiling water.

Tsuna was able to extract her right eye and the knife still embedded in it without causing too much additional damage, and cleaned the wound with a clean rag soaked with hot water. The stitches he had to make to close the wound needed to be even smaller than the ones on her stomach, and Tsuna was almost ready to collapse from exhaustion, but he managed to finish within an hour.

He cleaned the area around both wounds one last time, then sat back on his heels and shot a nervous look at the male kitsune, who lay with his legs folded neatly beneath him not three feet away. Tired and focused as he was, Tsuna had been able to feel the fox's intent gaze on him the entire time he'd been working.

"Th, that's all I can do for now," Tsuna said, then went on timidly, "so, um, what… will happen to me?"

The fox tilted his head, then snorted softly and replied, "You'll stay until my sister has recovered to the point that your assistance is no longer required. If you behave and manage not to offend me or her in any way, you may leave unscathed after that."

Tsuna gulped. Kitsune and other demons healed quickly, but that was still likely to take a week or so. And "leave unscathed" was not the best wording Tsuna might have hoped for.

But arguing wasn't going to get him anywhere, not on this topic, and he wanted to save any good will the kitsune might have towards him for potential arguments that mattered. Besides, he _did _want to make sure the female kitsune recovered completely.

So Tsuna made himself say, "O-okay. Um… are you hurt at all? Since… you were fighting too…"

The fox narrowed his eyes and let out a low, displeased growl, and Tsuna hunched his shoulders. After a long few minutes of silence, the kitsune finally unfolded his front legs and stretched them out in front of him, the right further than the left.

Tsuna took his medicine box and approached cautiously, and after a nervous look at the fox's face, knelt in front of him and took the giant paw in his hands, turning it gently to look at the foot pads.

He quickly saw that there was something lodged beneath the thumb pad.

Tsuna took a pair of tongs out of the medicine box, and asked, "May I pull that out?"

"You may," the fox replied coolly.

So Tsuna carefully situated the tongs, took a deep breath, and yanked.

The kitsune's ears went back, his ruff flared, and he bared his teeth, but he seemed to be restraining himself from growling.

Tsuna spent a second too long staring at the broken tip of a wakizashi. Then he set it aside and staunched the blood flowing from the now-open wound. It wasn't very deep, and as Tsuna cleaned it, he determined that it didn't even need bandaging, let alone stitching. So when he was done, he gave a short, jerky bow and then skittered backwards, dragging the medicine box with him.

He wanted to ask what had happened to the hunting party, what sort of magic the kitsune had worked to save his sister (and Tsuna by proxy) and then get away from that situation. How many people were dead. But he didn't want to risk bringing the topic up. Big as he was, this kitsune was probably only halfway through adolescence, if that; in human years about the same age as Tsuna, or a little bit older. He'd just lost his mother, and almost lost his sister. And six tails already, at his age? This was one powerful fox. Asking about the hunting party was a _bad _idea.

So instead Tsuna asked, "Um… if… if I may ask… what should I call you? I'm Tsuna," he added belatedly, remembering almost too late that when asking a spirit or demon's name, you offered your own first. "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The kitsune replied stiffly, "Mukuro." He looked towards his sister, and added in a softer tone of voice, "And her name is Chrome."

"Okay. Thank you, Mukuro… san?"

Mukuro snorted and put his ears back again. "Don't bother with those honorifics. Just Mukuro is fine." He gave Tsuna a brief up-and-down look, then said, "Get some sleep, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I want you in top shape to care for my sister."

Tsuna nodded mutely, and set up his bedroll, watching out of the corner of his eye as Mukuro stood and then sprawled beside Chrome, tenderly grooming her fur.

Tsuna didn't even have the energy to strip out of his bloodstained clothes; he was asleep before his head hit the ground.

The next thing he knew, a gust of hot breath on his face snapped him back to flailing wakefulness. Mukuro sat back on his haunches, one ear twisting to the side as he tilted his head.

"Eh? Huh, wha…" Tsuna mumbled as he scrubbed at his eyes. "What… time is it?"

"Morning," Mukuro said, unhelpfully. "Chrome is awake. And in pain. Do something about it." His nose twitched and his snout wrinkled, and he went on distastefully, "Then do something about your rank stench and unkempt appearance."

"Oh, um, right." Tsuna brought his medicine box over to where Chrome had curled her body as small as it would go, ears drooping, sole eye dull with pain and grief. "Good morning, Chrome," Tsuna greeted her tentatively. "Mukuro says you're in pain?"

Chrome looked at him, then lay back on her side to give him access to her belly. Tsuna asked Mukuro to fill the kettle and boil it again, and while the kitsune did that, Tsuna ground some herbs and mixed them with a medicinal cream to make a paste to spread around Chrome's wounds, more to try and prevent infection than to numb the pain, which it wasn't much good for.

When Mukuro brought hot water back, Tsuna grabbed the bowl that had been tucked into his bedroll, and made a medicinal tea.

"This will help the pain, and it will also make you sleepy," Tsuna told Chrome before he served it to her. "Rest is what you need most right now. If you're hungry when you wake up again, you can try to eat a little bit then, maybe."

Chrome dipped her head in acknowledgement, obediently drank the tea, then curled up again, covering her face with her tails.

She must hate me, Tsuna thought, heart sinking. Well, of course, they both must hate him. They had to know he'd been with the hunting party that had killed their mother. It didn't matter to them that he hadn't had any part in her death. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

But all he could do was heal Chrome, so that's what he was going to do.

The mention of food had reminded Tsuna that his own stomach was empty – he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday – but after glancing at Mukuro, he decided to follow the kitsune's second set of instructions before he tried asking about food.

The cave was tucked behind a waterfall, though when Tsuna finally stepped outside, he wondered if _waterfall _might be a bit of an exaggeration – it was a steady stream of water that fell from up a sheer cliff, sure, but it wasn't very _much _water, and instead of a river, it trickled into a creek, no more than a foot, maybe two feet deep at most.

Tsuna dipped his hands into the water, searching for the thread of different magic he'd sensed from the river yesterday. Not there. This wasn't connected to those rapids, then. And there was no telling where he was, or how far from the village – the cave, waterfall, and not quite an acre of land were all surrounded by a thick, murky magical barrier that Tsuna couldn't see past. He was willing to bet there was some kind of illusory maze blocking this area off from the rest of the mountain, too. Kitsune magic lent itself best to two areas: illusions, and shapeshifting. Though like any demon, they could also cast curses, if they had enough anger and hatred to put behind it, and manipulate fire.

Tsuna heaved a sigh, then stripped off his clothes, and used a cleansing concoction his mother had taught him to make and a rock to try and work the bloodstains out of his clothes while ankle-deep in the creek. He had another set, but just one, and he'd be here for about a week – he needed to be able to change. Especially since, vain and appearance-oriented as kitsune were, Mukuro could very well take offense if Tsuna didn't at least keep himself clean.

After washing his clothes as much as he could, Tsuna scrubbed his body with the cleanser, rinsed himself off, and put on his spare change of clothes. When he walked back into the cave, Mukuro strode up and stuck his snout almost in Tsuna's face, sniffing. Tsuna stood rigidly as he waited for the fox's judgment.

Finally, Mukuro snorted, yet another gust of hot damp hair being blown in Tsuna's face. "Given the circumstances, I suppose that will have to do," Mukuro sighed, then turned for the cave's exit. "I'm going hunting. Stay put and keep an eye on Chrome."

"Okay," Tsuna replied, silently praying that what Mukuro went hunting for was something Tsuna would be willing to eat. In the meantime, he knelt at Chrome's side, carefully checking her injuries and then just watching her sleep, her sides gently rising and falling.

Not quite able to help himself, Tsuna slowly began to stroke her fur. Kitsune were not like pets or even domesticated work animals, and being petted like one was extremely offensive to them when done without permission, but Chrome's fur was so fine and soft, and he just wanted to bury his fingers in her ruff and take comfort from the warmth of another living creature.

He snapped his hand back when he heard the click of claws on stone, and angled an anxious look over his shoulder at Mukuro, who'd returned with an adult deer, his jaws clamped around its throat. Much of the meat had already been consumed, so Mukuro had eaten his fill before bringing it back with him.

Though Mukuro gave Tsuna a cold look, he said nothing to indicate he'd noticed Tsuna's lapse of good manners, and instead dropped the carcass in the middle of the floor.

Tsuna stared at it for a minute, and then ventured, "Um, I… prefer my meat cooked? And… my teeth aren't as strong as yours, so…"

Mukuro's ears went back and he snorted, but he set about ripping off smaller strips of meat and more easily-edible chunks.

"If you want it cooked, you may do so yourself," Mukuro said when he was done, then settled down next to Chrome again.

How? Tsuna wanted to ask but didn't. There was no firepit or anything of the like, in the cave or outside; Mukuro had used magic to heat the water when Tsuna had asked him to, and Tsuna couldn't exactly do that himself.

Still, he had to figure something out. Because raw, red meat? No thank you.

Tsuna gathered up the meat strips and chunks – being careful not to get any blood on his clothes – then took it and some supplies from his medicine box outside. He spent the next ten minutes digging the best makeshift firepit he could in the rocky ground, and ten minutes after that finding what twigs and stray branches he could for a fire. Another ten minutes after _that, _he finally managed to get a small fire going, and he counted himself lucky to have accomplished it so quickly.

Tsuna cleaned the tongs he'd used to extract the wakizashi shard from Mukuro's foot, and then used them to hold pieces of meat over the fire. When one was cooked just enough to be edible, Tsuna would pop it into his mouth to chew on while he cooked the next piece.

When Tsuna was done eating, he put out the fire, cleaned the tongs again, and went back inside the cave.

He hesitated for a moment, looking at Mukuro and Chrome. Chrome was deeply asleep, of course, and now Mukuro was napping beside her, his tails coiled protectively around her body.

"Mukuro?" Tsuna said.

"What is it?" the kitsune asked without opening his eyes.

"I'm going to get some sleep. If, um, Chrome wakes up before I do and she's hungry… it's okay if she eats, I think. It's not safe for her to have more than one dose of the medicinal tea a day, so… unless something goes wrong with the stitches… I can't do anything else for her until tomorrow."

"Duly noted," Mukuro drawled, eyes still closed. "Get some rest, then, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Y, yeah. Thanks."

Tsuna lay down on his bedroll on his side, folding his arm under his head to cushion it. Even though it was summer, the cave was damp and cold, and the blanket he had was thin and flimsy. Sleeping next to the kitsune instead of on the other side of the cave from them would definitely be a lot warmer… but also a lot more dangerous, even if he worked up the nerve to ask for permission and, against all odds, got it.

No, he'd just have to put up with the discomfort. And do his best to make it through the next week alive.

* * *

End A/Ns: Ugh fiiiiine the fun shippy stuff can start next time. Gotta build up to it properly. But it IS definitely going to begin in the next chapter. 8D


	4. Chapter 4

A/Ns: Alright with that set-up stuff out of the way I am diving right into the fun part WOOHOO

Warnings: Very gratuitous nudity.

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 4

* * *

Tsuna woke up on his own for once, at dawn the next morning, though since he'd gone to sleep in the early afternoon yesterday it wasn't quite as impressive of a feat. He sat up and yawned, then looked over at the dozing kitsune.

Mukuro's ear flicked when Tsuna got to his feet and gathered some of his things, but didn't otherwise open his eyes or move. Chrome didn't stir at all.

Tsuna went outside, stripped off his clothes, and waded ankle-deep into the creek. It was more efficient to wash his clothes and himself at the same time, and he hoped Mukuro might appreciate it if Tsuna made the effort to wash without being told to. The more good favor he had with them, the better his chances were of surviving this and getting back to his mother.

Tsuna finished washing his clothes, spread them out away from the water to dry, then hurried back into the creek to bathe himself, crouching down to have better access to the shallow water.

Either he was too intent on getting clean to hear someone approaching, or the other was just skilled at walking silently, because all of a sudden human hands slid down Tsuna's shoulders from behind to gently but firmly grip his upper arms.

Tsuna went rigid, completely caught off-guard, and then the person behind him was leaning in, their breath hot against his ear, and Mukuro's voice whispered, "Good morning, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna jerked and whipped his head around, eyes wide, to come face-to-face with a _very _handsome teenage boy. He was at least two heads taller than Tsuna, with fine dark hair and mismatched red-and-blue eyes that glittered with foxy amusement. As Tsuna stared, the boy's lips twitched into a smirk.

Mukuro, in human form. Beautiful, of course, because all kitsune were. And completely naked. Fur didn't morph into clothes, after all.

Tsuna wasn't necessarily _grateful _for Mukuro's grip on him keeping their faces bare inches apart, but at least it kept his eyes from wandering.

"G, g… g-good morning," Tsuna managed to stammer out, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. "Uh, um… w-what's up?" As in, why are you abruptly shapeshifting into a naked human boy?!

"You have neither the means nor the knowledge to clean yourself properly, so I am going to assist you," Mukuro said, sounding entirely too cheerful as he pulled Tsuna to his feet and guided him over to the small waterfall.

_That's really not necessary _was what Tsuna wanted to say, but he knew exactly how effective that would be, so, whimpering quietly, he let himself be dragged along.

There was a small wooden bucket sitting on a flat rock that jutted out of the creek just next to the waterfall, and as they got closer Tsuna saw that it held proper sponges and expensive-looking bathing products, shampoos and conditioners and soaps that wouldn't be out of place in a district lord's bath. Tsuna stared blankly at it, wondering where it had come from, and if the kitsune had any other human material goods stored further back in the cave.

Probably. Kitsune were known for enjoying frequent interaction with humans, after all. There was probably an entire wardrobe and who knew what else stored in the cave.

"Stand under the water," Mukuro instructed curtly, positioning Tsuna into place before finally releasing his shoulders. Grabbing one of the bottles, Mukuro poured some of the contents into his hands, rubbed them together, and then, without further ado, began scrubbing them through Tsuna's hair.

"I don't think you realize how irksome the stench of fear and anxiety can be, on top of a human's already-unpleasant bodily odors," Mukuro complained as he shampooed Tsuna's hair, Tsuna himself unable to do anything but just stand under the waterfall and let the kitsune have his way. "And whatever it was you used to clean yourself yesterday, it made you smell like an infirmary. I refuse to share quarters with a rank boor. Are you so destitute that you can't afford proper soap?"

Since Mukuro seemed to actually want an answer, Tsuna replied tentatively, "Um, we do have soap, but I didn't bring anything with me – this time – since I was only supposed to be gone a few days at most…"

Mukuro's hands paused. "You don't bathe daily?"

Tsuna stared at him. "Who bathes _daily?_" Sure, he'd tried to clean himself two days in a row now, but that was because foxes had sensitive noses and Tsuna didn't want to risk offending them.

Mukuro stared back with a look of what seemed to be mild horror, then heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Humans are such barbarians," he huffed, which Tsuna knew better than to make any answer to. As he began to rinse the shampoo out of Tsuna's hair, he continued, "And your hair is in terrible condition. How often do you brush it? Once a week?"

"…Y-yeah." Well, whenever it got too messy to be presentable, which averaged about once a week or so.

Mukuro made a contemptuous noise. "You ought to groom yourself _daily._ How can you bear to be seen in such a state? And look at you," he groused, pulling Tsuna a step out from under the waterfall, gripping his chin, and forcing him to meet Mukuro's eyes. "You have such a cute face, how can you bear to let it go to waste?"

Tsuna froze, eyes wide, before he went beet red. "Ehhh? I'm, uh, I mean, that's – "

"That's quite cute, too," Mukuro said absently, thumb briefly rubbing over Tsuna's cheek in an appreciative gesture before he reached for another bottle, this time of what looked to be a conditioner. Tsuna had had the opportunity to use nice shampoo before, if not very often, but never conditioner.

Mukuro dumped a liberal amount into his hands and then began to run his fingers through Tsuna's hair, tugging them through tangles when necessary until Tsuna was cringing.

"Anyway, while you're here, I expect you to both look and smell presentable," Mukuro said. "Enduring your presence is a trial enough as it is without you being a plague on my nose and eyes. So you'll bathe daily, brush your hair daily, wear the garb I'll provide to you, and stop being so frightened, please."

Tsuna twitched, and looked at him uncertainly. "You… don't want me to be frightened?"

"Well, it is gratifying," Mukuro said, tossing his head, "and I do hope to inspire fear in battle or under other choice circumstances, but I don't want to have to be constantly bathed in the stench of it at home. Mother always said that medicine shamans are trained to have good manners; yours have been passable enough, and you've saved Chrome's life. I'm not going to harm you unless you give me good reason to, and you're so considerate and timid that that seems very unlikely. So be at ease, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

As Mukuro spoke, voice gradually descending into a huskier tone, his hands migrated to the base of Tsuna's skull, massaging there and the back of Tsuna's neck until Tsuna felt his eyelids drooping with confused and nervous pleasure.

So Tsuna replied dazedly, "Okay…"

Mukuro laughed softly. "Good boy." He pushed Tsuna back under the waterfall, and washed the conditioner out of his hair, before grabbing a sponge and one of the highest quality bars of soap Tsuna had ever seen.

Mukuro lathered up the sponge with soap, and set to scrubbing it over Tsuna's skin, starting with his shoulders and back. Tsuna tensed up nervously when Mukuro crouched down to soap his buttocks, but though kitsune were known for being incredibly sensual and sexual, Mukuro's touch actually lost some of its heat when he moved to more sensitive areas, so Tsuna tentatively tried to relax. Mukuro quickly moved the sponge down the backs of Tsuna's legs, then stood and had Tsuna turn around so he could wash his front.

Mukuro was smiling at him, Tsuna realized with a jolt as Mukuro took the sponge to Tsuna's chest and arms. It was a small smile, sure, and despite everything there was still guarded contempt and malice in the back of Mukuro's eyes, but Mukuro was making the effort to smile at him. With Mukuro's assurances fresh on his mind, and knowing his mother always told him that one should smile whenever they could, Tsuna finally relaxed enough to give Mukuro a shy but genuine smile, looking up at him through his eyelashes.

Mukuro's hands paused, and he stared at Tsuna for a moment, eyes turning smoky. Though he resumed as if nothing had happened, Tsuna had the uneasy feeling that something had changed.

Mukuro crouched down again to wash the fronts of Tsuna's legs, never going into the vicinity of Tsuna's crotch, much to his relief. Then Mukuro had him rinse all the soap off.

Figuring he was finally done, Tsuna stepped out from under the waterfall only to almost collide with Mukuro, who hadn't moved, and was giving him that smoky look again.

"Say, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said in a casual tone that didn't prepare Tsuna for what he was about to say at all, as he reached forward and coiled a piece of Tsuna's bangs around his index finger, "would you like to rut with me?"

Tsuna stiffened. "Oh, um, no thank you," he managed to squeak out, pulling his head back and hoping Mukuro wouldn't find breaking that contact too offensive.

Mukuro tilted his head, looking more confused than disappointed. "May I ask why not?" Before Tsuna could reply, Mukuro bent in, not quite touching Tsuna, but positioning his nose over the juncture between Tsuna's neck and shoulder. "I could hear your heart accelerate when I touched you, and I can smell your physical response to me; you find me attractive. You're old enough to rut, I can smell that too, but I've neither met nor heard of a human your age who's taken a mate, and even if such exist a mate would have left more of their scent on you than your mother has." Straightening again, Mukuro asked, "Is there some other reason for you to object to having sex with me?"

He sounded curious but not offended. Good. That was good. Tsuna could tell this was going to be a conversation full of landmines as it was.

Pick the most basic and general of reasons, Tsuna instructed himself. If he tried to go into all of his personal feelings, the conversation would be drawn out and might become dangerous. So keep it to the basics of the basics.

"Um, well, some humans… m-maybe even _most _humans, or at least _many _humans, including me… prefer to only have sex with someone they're in a relationship with."

Mukuro seemed honestly baffled by that. "Why?"

Tsuna fidgeted. "Um… I think it's… easier to be vulnerable – physically _and _emotionally vulnerable," he clarified, given that he was very physically vulnerable at the moment and didn't want Mukuro to get the wrong idea, "when the other person is someone they trust, a-and, and care a lot about, and are really close to."

"Humans feel emotionally vulnerable during sex?" Mukuro asked, confusion tipping back to interested curiousity.

"Yes," Tsuna said firmly. "Yes we do."

Mukuro smiled, and Tsuna thought the worst was over until he said, "I see. Well, in that case, may I court you?"

Tsuna just gaped at Mukuro for a moment. "Why?" he asked at last. "You want to… to rut with me that badly? When your – " _mother's just died and your sister has been severely injured_ was what that train of thought would have led to, which Tsuna barely realized in time to cut himself off.

But Mukuro seemed to have an idea of what he'd been about to ask, as there was a dangerous light in the kitsune's eyes. Then his eyelids fell to half-mast, and he brushed the back of one hand against Tsuna's cheek as he rested the other on Tsuna's waist, stepping in so close that their bodies brushed together. Tsuna didn't dare move, or even breathe. What was he –

Mukuro bent forward, pressing his nose to Tsuna's temple as he murmured in Tsuna's ear, "And how is it that _humans_ deal with grief, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna's eyes flew wide. Oh. Of course, renowned as they were for their sexual exploits, it made sense that kitsune might find solace in sex. Except the only other kitsune around was Mukuro's sister – his _younger _sister, whom he probably felt responsible for and wouldn't want her seeing him in a vulnerable state anyway – and Mukuro probably had an extreme aversion to humans right now. But he'd accepted Tsuna's presence, however reluctantly, and medicine shamans had the reputation of being as accessible for aid to demons and spirits as they were to humans. And he apparently thought Tsuna was cute.

Tsuna was the only person he could turn to for comfort in the wake of his mother's death.

Tsuna let out a shaky breath, then hesitantly leaned his cheek against Mukuro's chest and wrapped his arms around Mukuro's waist. Mukuro went still.

"…You can court me," Tsuna said at last. "I'm not going to make you any promises or guarantee anything," he went on quickly, "but… courting me is okay." It wasn't sex, but maybe Tsuna would be able to give him at least some comfort this way.

Mukuro was silent for another minute, then gave Tsuna a quick nuzzle before gently disengaging from the hug and stepping back.

"Good," he said, smirking. "I look forward to it."

The calculating look on his face was unnerving, and Tsuna's mouth went dry as he realized he had no idea what he'd just agreed to. "So um," he said nervously, "how does a kitsune courting work?"

Mukuro chuckled, a sinister-sounding _kufufufu._ "I suppose you're about to find out, aren't you?"

* * *

End A/Ns: Kitsune do not have human sensibilities, and have a very different perspective on a lot of things. ;D


	5. Chapter 5

A/Ns: If you ever have questions about what something is/looks like (medicine box, naginata, wakizashi, etc.) and you can't find a good example on Google, let me know and I'll try to find something for you. :3 Please DO Google it first, though.

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 5

* * *

Mukuro had a towel and clothes waiting for them once he led Tsuna out of the water, and seemed to derive a great deal of pleasure from drying Tsuna off, and then dressing him. Tsuna would have protested the latter – when was he going to be allowed to do things for himself again? – except the clothing in general was a fancy, high-quality, _expensive_-looking hitatare, and he was too stunned about being given clothing fit for a lord to protest as Mukuro helped him into it.

"Where does all this stuff come from?" Tsuna finally burst out when Mukuro picked up the most beautiful lacquer comb Tsuna had ever seen.

"Mother acquired most of it," Mukuro replied as he took the comb to Tsuna's hair. "Before Chrome and I were born, she spent some time in the Imperial Court. Her lovers gave her many gifts. Once she had me, she traded some of it for child- and later adolescent-sized clothing and accessories of the same quality. The rest are mostly offerings. The district lord's seat in Gesso is part of our territory, too, and they've been making us proper offerings ever since Mother sired a child on the district lord's daughter."

Grimacing through the pain of Mukuro combing out tangles, the oddity in that sentence took a moment to sink in for Tsuna, but then he sputtered, "_Sired _a child?"

Mukuro snorted. "We _are _shapeshifters, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Changing our physical sex is child's play." He bent forward to murmur in Tsuna's ear, "If you can imagine it, we can shift into it… and we're capable of partial transformations, too. It can make certain activities _very _interesting."

Tsuna's stomach fluttered nervously as what felt like his entire body blushed. Mukuro laughed softly, breath teasing Tsuna's skin, before he straightened and continued to comb Tsuna's hair.

Just as Mukuro smoothed out the last tangles, Chrome's voice called out weakly, "Big brother?"

Tsuna blinked and suddenly Mukuro was in kitsune form again, trotting into the cave. He followed the fox, though he went for his medicine box first; it was safe now for Chrome to have more of the medicinal tea, and he wanted to treat her stitches with the medicinal cream again, too.

When he turned towards the kitsune, Mukuro was nuzzling Chrome reassuringly and grooming her fur. Chrome was leaning into it until she glanced in Tsuna's direction, and then her head came up, ears perking with interest.

"Oh!"

"Yes, that's much better, isn't it?" Mukuro said smugly, tails twitching in a self-satisfied manner.

Realizing he hadn't yet thanked Mukuro for his assistance (unsought though it had been), Tsuna gave a short, clumsy bow and said quickly, "Um, I'm grateful for all the effort you went to on my behalf…"

"You're welcome," Mukuro replied, preening. "Though it was more done for our sake, not yours. Besides, you don't need to be that formal anymore; I'm courting you, after all."

Chrome's head craned around to stare at her brother, single eye wide. "Eh?"

"Tsunayoshi doesn't want to rut until he's been courted," Mukuro said frankly, much to Tsuna's horror.

"Why not?" Chrome asked, bemused.

"It's a human thing, apparently."

"Oh…" Chrome said, though her ears twisted. "That's not fair, big brother. I saw him first."

Tsuna gaped at her, but Mukuro just snorted. "I'm older, though, so I have the right to first claim. Besides, you won't be able to shift into human form until your wounds have healed, and humans don't rut with foxes."

"Um, are your wounds bothering you, Chrome? Are you in pain?" Tsuna asked hastily, desperate to change the topic.

"Oh, um, yes, a little," Chrome replied, glancing at him shyly. "I don't like these," she went on, nosing her stomach stitches. "They itch."

"Don't scratch them!" Tsuna admonished when Chrome's hind leg started to lift. He knelt down next to her, arranging the hitatare carefully. He didn't want it to get wrinkled or dirty, it was probably worth more than a year's earnings. At least. "This should help with the itchiness," he added, beginning to rub the medicinal cream gently around the stitches.

Chrome's ears flicked doubtfully, but as Tsuna continued she slumped with relief. "Oh, yes, that feels much better." Peeking up at Tsuna through her eyelashes, she said, "Thank you for saving my life, Tsunayoshi." And she lifted her head to lick his cheek. Tsuna blushed.

Mukuro growled, and Chrome quickly lowered her head again, ears flat back against her skull.

"You don't need to thank me," Tsuna said, forcing a smile to hide the way his heart was sinking. He was glad the kitsune didn't seem to hate him anymore, but he wasn't sure what to do about them _liking _him. Who knew that a bath and nice clothes would change their opinion so much? "Do you want more of the tea?"

Chrome thought about it for a moment, then wrinkled her snout. "Maybe later. I don't want to sleep right now." She glanced up at her brother. "I'm hungry, though…"

Tsuna looked around the cave; the remains of the deer from yesterday were gone. Mukuro and Chrome had probably finished it while he'd been sleeping. When he turned back to the foxes, he saw that Mukuro's ears had gone back and he was eyeing Chrome almost _suspiciously._

Oh boy.

So Tsuna said tentatively, "I'm pretty hungry, too…"

Mukuro glanced at him, then huffed and briefly groomed himself as if nothing had happened. "I'll go hunting, then," he said loftily, and trotted out.

The moment he was gone, Tsuna looked at Chrome and asked plaintively, "Is… is he acting like that because, because, um…"

"Because he's courting you?" Chrome finished, her head tilting to the side. "Um, yes. When we're courting we can be a little bit, um… possessive? …I think."

Great. "But if he's only courting me because he wants to, uh, to rut – "

Chrome's ears went back. "That doesn't matter. Courting is courting."

Tsuna wanted to bury his face in his hands, but he restrained himself. Instead, he glanced toward the cave entrance, then asked in a hushed voice, "Could… could you tell me how kitsune courting works?"

Chrome eyed him doubtfully. "What did big brother tell you?"

"Nothing," Tsuna grumbled.

Chrome let out a sound that might have been a weak giggle. "Well, he'll probably get mad at me if I tell you too much, then," she said. "I bet he wants to play with you. But, um, I guess… he'll want to touch you a lot. And want you to touch him. And pay each other lots of attention. Just, um…" Chrome hesitated, and Tsuna's brow wrinkled with concern as she fidgeted anxiously, tails pressed close to her body. "Don't, um… you… you won't ignore me and leave me out of everything, will you?"

"Of course not," Tsuna assured her, heart going out to her. She sounded so sad and lonely. "I… I want to help both of you, Chrome. So, um… you can ask me for anything, okay? And if you ever feel left out, you can tell me, and I'll make sure to include you."

Chrome darted another shy look at him, then hesitantly, inch by inch, shifted her head to rest in Tsuna's lap. "Pet me?"

Tsuna's heart thudded in his chest. She was so sweet and cute!

"Sure," he said warmly, smiling at her, and began to stroke her neck.

Chrome heaved a happy sigh, snuggling closer and burying her snout in Tsuna's side. Tsuna's smile widened, and for a long time, he just pet her.

When he began to tentatively scratch behind her ears, Chrome let out a quiet rumble of pleasure, before saying, "Tsunayoshi?"

"What is it?"

"Um… why… why were you, um… with those people?" Chrome asked, voice ending on a mournful whisper. "And why… why did… why did they…"

She sounded like she was about to cry.

Tsuna froze, and a lump of shame and guilt rose in his throat. He swallowed it down, and answered shakily, "After… after I saw you that night, a… a Demon Hunter came to the village. Mom and I hadn't had the chance to do anything yet, so the villagers still blamed you guys for the disease, so… so the Demon Hunter, Hibari Kotone," he refused to call her _Kotone-sama _in front of the kitsune, "she… convinced them to hunt you guys. And she told them that I had to go along, too. I… I could have refused, even if that would make her angry and want to punish me, but… my intuition told me that I should go, because I'd be able to save someone if I did, and… and I was hoping it would be one of you. And it was. I… I know this sounds like an excuse, but… I didn't do anything to help them hunt. So even if I hadn't been there… they still would have… fought you guys. But… but if I hadn't been there, you would have died, so… I don't regret going with them."

Chrome didn't respond, but she didn't pull away, either, and even shifted her body so that her tails wrapped around Tsuna's waist.

Tsuna was quiet for a few minutes, wondering if he should say more. He finally decided that he should, and, still petting Chrome, he went on softly, "I know… this is a lot to ask, and if it's more than you can do, that's perfectly understandable, but… I hope you won't hate the villagers. They're just sick and scared, and they thought they were doing something that would help their friends and families. Hibari Kotone, she…" Tsuna's fists clenched in Chrome's fur. "She _knew _you guys weren't the cause of the plague, I heard her tell Mom so. But she said she _wanted _to hunt you, with or without the villagers. And she's the one who…"

Chrome still said nothing, but she lifted her head and rubbed her cheek against Tsuna's arm, whining plaintively. Tsuna shifted his hands to scratch her cheeks and under her chin, hoping he could reassure and comfort her, since that and treating her injuries was pretty much all he could do.

"Big brother put them all in an illusion maze. Those hunters, I mean," Chrome said at last, and then with quiet venom hissed, "I hope they all rot and die there. Especially the Demon Hunter woman. …But maybe we'll leave the rest of the village alone. _Maybe._" She growled to punctuate the last word.

"Thank you for at least considering it," Tsuna said simply. "That would be really generous of you."

Chrome rumbled again, nuzzling at Tsuna's shoulder. "You're so kind, Tsunayoshi," she sighed contentedly, resting her head in Tsuna's lap once more. "I wish more humans were like you."

Tsuna swallowed the lump in his throat down again, unable to reply.

Another hour or so passed, and Tsuna and Chrome were both almost dozing off when Mukuro finally returned, a wild boar in his mouth and, strangely enough, a basket wrapped in one of his tails.

Mukuro eyed them both darkly until Chrome, ears flat back again, broke contact with Tsuna, though she only moved back a few inches. That was apparently enough to mollify Mukuro, because he put the boar down in front of her, and the basket next to Tsuna.

The aroma wafting from the basket made Tsuna's stomach growl and his mouth water, and when he lifted the lid, he gaped at the fresh dumplings, onigiri, a jar of pickled vegetables, and even a small bottle of sake.

"Where did you get this?" he squeaked.

"It's part of this month's offering from Gesso," Mukuro replied, clearly pleased with Tsuna's reaction. "Look, they gave us this, too," he added smugly, setting down a small lacquer box he'd been carrying with one of his tails.

Tsuna opened it, and stared at the ring, a stone the color of the night sky in a silver and black setting, surrounded with chips of red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and indigo. He wasn't very well-versed in gem stones or metals so he couldn't name any of them, but from the pure, vivid colors and incredible craftsmanship, he could tell they had to be very precious.

"Oh," Chrome breathed, staring at it fixedly. "Oh, that's beautiful."

"Yeah," was all Tsuna could think to say. "Wow."

Mukuro shifted to human form. Tsuna jerked and blushed and looked elsewhere, still not used to suddenly having a beautiful naked boy appear in front of him. He was so disoriented that he didn't even realize Mukuro was taking his hand and slipping the ring onto his finger until it settled against his skin.

Tsuna froze, staring at the ring before lifting saucer-wide eyes to meet Mukuro's. "Wh… what – "

"A gift for you," Mukuro said indulgently, and Tsuna's jaw dropped.

"Eh?! But, but – no, this – it's too nice, I couldn't – "

"I want you to have it," Mukuro said, eyes hooded. "Are you refusing my gift, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna just stared at him, face bright red. He was completely incapable of making any move to resist when Mukuro reached forward to trace a finger along his jaw, then leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Tsuna's cheek.

Tsuna's mouth went dry, heart accelerating. He felt Mukuro smile.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Mukuro purred, lips still brushing against Tsuna's skin.

"Th… thank you," Tsuna managed weakly. He'd never received such a beautiful gift in his life, and doubted he ever would again. He had to do something for Mukuro, too, or he'd feel guilty for accepting such a lordly present for the rest of his life. But what did he have to offer?

Remembering what Chrome had said about Mukuro wanting to touch and _be _touched, Tsuna tentatively wrapped his arms around Mukuro, and then tightened them into a hug.

Mukuro gave a soft rumble of pleasure, and rubbed his cheek against Tsuna's hair.

"Don't ignore me," Chrome whined through a mouthful of boar.

Tsuna let go of Mukuro and turned to apologize to her, but before he could, Mukuro growled.

"You had him all to yourself for two hours while I was gone," he said frostily, coiling an arm around Tsuna's waist and pulling him onto his naked lap, ignoring Tsuna's squeak of protest. "And _I'm _courting him, he's _my _human."

And with that, as if to mark his territory, Mukuro gripped Tsuna's chin with his free hand, tilted Tsuna's face up, and bent in to capture Tsuna's lips with his own while Chrome made sulky noises about being unfair.

Tsuna's eyes flew wide, and his hands launched onto Mukuro's shoulders with the intent of pushing him away, but with one of Mukuro's hands caressing his lower back and the other burrowing into his hair to massage his scalp, his lips coaxing Tsuna's into pliancy, Tsuna found himself unable to do anything but surrender. Instead of pushing Mukuro away, Tsuna's arms twined around Mukuro's neck as heat and pleasure flooded through him.

When Mukuro finally broke the kiss, Tsuna could only stare at him dazedly, panting and breathless, as the kitsune licked his lips and smirked.

Then, much to Tsuna's embarrassment, his stomach growled. Mukuro chuckled.

"Mm, I'm glad you insisted on being courted," Mukuro said, gently shifting Tsuna back out of his lap. "This is quite enjoyable."

Tsuna ducked his head and busied himself with his food, wanting to look anywhere but at Mukuro.

"Thankyouforthefood," he managed to sputter out before focusing on eating.

He was so intent on not paying attention to Mukuro that he didn't notice when Mukuro returned to fox form once more, not until Mukuro curled his body and tails around Tsuna possessively and nuzzled him, making Tsuna jolt.

Tsuna almost choked on his food when Mukuro then abruptly asked, "So are you ready to rut with me yet?"

"Um… n-no," Tsuna replied, slanting a half-uncertain, half-suspicious look at the kitsune. "…Mukuro, um… how long do you think courting me is going to take?"

"No more than another day until you're willing to rut with me, I'm sure," Mukuro said with an airy tail-flick. "Why, do you think that's unreasonable? Perhaps two days?"

Tsuna's only answer was a whimper.

* * *

End A/Ns: Yes, Aria is, in fact, Yuni's father in this fic. ;D Shapeshifters are so much fun to play with~

I can already tell Chrome is going to try her best to turn this into a 692796 fic. At this point I don't intend to let her, but just putting it out there that it's a possibility. xD;;


	6. Chapter 6

A/Ns: Ahhh I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who's reading, a double dose of thanks to everyone who's liking/favoriting/alerting/kudosing (depending on where you're reading this), and an extra triple super espresso shot of thanks to everyone reviewing! It's hearing what you all think of this fic that makes me excited to write more! 8D

Warnings: Underage drinking, if that's a thing to warn for? And if it counts as underage if the setting doesn't have a drinking age limit?

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 6

* * *

It didn't occur to Tsuna that drinking the sake might be a terrible mistake until he was halfway through the bottle.

To be fair, Mukuro was back in human form and having some, too. They'd even let Chrome have two or three tiny saucers of it. But between frayed nerves from the past few days, and a strong desire to stop being so tense and anxious about the courting thing, Tsuna just sort of… let Mukuro keep pouring him drinks.

When the world was sufficiently soupy and Tsuna was too tired and dizzy to keep his eyes open, he crawled into Mukuro's lap, bumping his head against the kitsune's shoulder. For once he didn't care that Mukuro was naked.

"Mm, are you tired, Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro drawled, stroking Tsuna's hair.

"Yeah," Tsuna mumbled, trying to snuggle closer.

There was a smile in Mukuro's voice when he replied, "Well, you're not sleeping in those clothes, darling. They'll get wrinkled and dirty. Here, let me just help you out of them…"

"Uh-huh." Tsuna let Mukuro undress him, then collapsed back against the taller boy's body, eyes thick with oncoming slumber. "Mu'kro?"

"Yes?"

"Hug me back…"

After a brief beat of silence, Mukuro's arms slowly folded around him. "Like this?"

"Yeah…" Tsuna relaxed completely, rested his cheek against Mukuro's shoulder, and lost track of everything but the warm embrace and the gentle rise and fall of Mukuro's chest. Then, the world went dark.

The next thing Tsuna was aware of was a pounding headache and the fact that his eyelids felt gummy and weighted down by lead. He was a little bit nauseous, too.

But he was wrapped in the softest, most amazing blanket the world had ever known. Which couldn't be right, he hadn't seen any blankets like this in the – the kitsune's cave –

Tsuna tried to pry his eyes open, but failed miserably, whimpering.

The part of the blanket against his back shifted, and hot breath caressed his cheek, followed by a large, rough tongue which began to groom his face and hair.

_That _got Tsuna's eyes open, and he swatted at Mukuro. "Stoppit," he whined, glaring blearily at the kitsune, who just snorted another gust of hot air in his face.

As Tsuna's eyes cleared, he squinted around the cave, mind sluggishly trying to get its bearings.

He was resting against Mukuro's chest, curled between his front legs. Chrome was pressed close against his torso, her head next to his and her tails curled to cover him from feet to hips. Until Tsuna had woken, Mukuro's head must have been resting over them both, keeping them warm.

There was only a bit of gray light in the cave, which meant it was about an hour or two after dawn.

Tsuna scrounged up the memories from the day before. They'd gotten into the sake, and… he'd fallen asleep naked in Mukuro's also-naked lap. And he was still naked. Tsuna flushed.

"What are you embarrassed about first thing in the morning?" Mukuro huffed, nosing Tsuna's back. Trying to reassure him, Tsuna thought, so he shyly rolled over into it, letting Mukuro nuzzle his chest and neck. He was starting to really enjoy the feeling of Mukuro's breath against his skin.

"Sorry," Tsuna mumbled. "I'm just… not used to, um… so much nudity."

Mukuro tilted his head, ears half-twisting with perplexed curiousity. "You find nudity embarrassing?"

"N-no, that's not, I mean…" Tsuna struggled for a minute to find the right words to articulate himself clearly. "For humans, it's considered polite to be dressed, and rude to expose yourself for no reason, so… I just haven't quite gotten used to it being different with kitsune."

"Mm, I see." Mukuro stuck the tip of his snout in Tsuna's hair, front fangs gently working through it like a comb. Which was a weird but not unpleasant sensation, so Tsuna let him.

"…Say, Mukuro?"

"Mm?"

"How much time have you spent around humans, before now?"

"Not much," Mukuro admitted casually. "I've been down to some of the nearby villages to rut or accept offerings before, but my visits rarely lasted more than a few hours and I never conversed with the humans very much. Mother told us stories from when she lived among humans, but those were from a kitsune's perspective, of course, so I've never had the opportunity to learn about how humans think before." After a brief pause, Mukuro said with a faint chill in his tone, "May I ask _you_ something?"

"Um, yeah, what is it?"

"After you fell asleep last night, Chrome told me what you told her about the Nemachi villagers and that Demon Hunter woman. You said that she _wanted _to hunt us, but didn't give a reason."

Tsuna blinked, then pushed himself into a sitting position. He wanted to at least try and meet Mukuro on as equal a field as possible, instead of lying around while Mukuro was being serious.

"I don't know the reason," Tsuna said, fingers fidgeting together. "She didn't give one. She just said she wanted to, and that she would no matter what anyone else thought or said or did. But…"

"But?" Mukuro repeated in a dangerously soft voice.

"Um… this is just a guess, but… I think… she liked it. Hunting demons. It was fun for her." Tsuna wasn't certain about his use of the past tense, but it seemed the usage more likely to be correct. She'd been thrown into a six-tails' illusion maze immediately after killing a seven-tails; no shaman he'd ever heard of could survive that.

"There are humans like that," Tsuna finished, drawing his knees up against his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "Not a lot, but… they exist."

"And you knew she would come hunting us, but did nothing?" Mukuro asked, tone deceptively casual.

Tsuna flinched. "Mom and I were there to help the sick, and K- the Demon Hunter acted really quickly, we couldn't have done anything to stop her, and she probably would have noticed if we tried to send a warning to you guys, but… b-but…" Tsuna's shoulders slumped. "Those are all just excuses, huh? …Yeah, I… knew she would come hunting you, and… didn't do anything. It never even occurred to me to try."

Hot, gentle breaths on his face. As the silence stretched across minutes, Tsuna wondered if Mukuro might try to kill him. Even so, he didn't tense up, or squirm, or try to move away. This was one conflict he didn't want to run away from.

"You're so young, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro murmured at last, dipping his head to press his cheek against Tsuna's body. Tsuna leaned into him, one hand rising to fist in the fur on the other side of Mukuro's face. "I won't begrudge you your innocence."

"Thank you," Tsuna whispered. "And… I'm sor – "

Mukuro lifted his head away, cutting Tsuna off with a snort. "Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault."

A lump rose in Tsuna's throat. "You're… you're not just forgiving me because you're courting me, are you?"

Mukuro gave him a coolly considering look. "Did I say that I forgave you? If that is what you heard, you are mistaken. All I meant was that you may consider the matter settled, and need not guard against recompense. And while I can't deny that my decision was influenced by courting you, it's only because that in doing so, I've gained the knowledge needed to make it."

"Oh," was all Tsuna could say. "I… I think I understand."

"Good," Mukuro said, then abruptly shifted into human form – and ended up half in Tsuna's lap due to their proximity. Tsuna squeaked.

Mukuro smirked at him, then got to his feet and offered Tsuna a hand up, which Tsuna uncertainly accepted.

"Time to bathe," Mukuro said cheerfully, wrapping one arm around Tsuna's shoulders and leading him towards the cave entrance. Once there, he let go, and gave Tsuna a gentle push. "Go stand under the waterfall while I fetch the bathing supplies and a new set of clothing for you."

"Are you going to let me bathe myself?" Tsuna asked hopefully.

"No."

"Oh," Tsuna said, head and shoulders drooping as he sighed. Well, it had been worth a shot. "Okay."

He obediently trotted out to stand under the waterfall, and even managed not to twitch with surprise when Mukuro announced his presence a few minutes later by wrapping his arms around Tsuna's waist.

It felt nice, being held like this, Tsuna thought, even leaning into the embrace a little. Now that the flustered embarrassment was gradually beginning to fade, it even felt nice to be liked and desired, even if it was by kitsune. No, especially because they were kitsune, because kitsune only liked pretty people with polished manners. And even though in lived years they were much older, they were about the same age as him mentally and emotionally.

Tsuna had been his mother's apprentice his entire life, and his mother was a traveling medicine shaman, always moving from village to village. The longest they'd ever stayed in one place had been three weeks, and they rarely visited the same town twice. He'd never had friends his age before. He'd never even been able to talk much with kids his age before.

Except for his mother, he'd… never had friends at all.

But now…

"Mukuro?" Tsuna asked, voice shakier than he would like.

Mukuro pulled him out from under the water, turned him around, and lightly gripped Tsuna's chin to turn his face up and examine his expression more closely, nostrils flaring as he tried to read Tsuna's scent. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Um, n-no, nothing's wrong, I just, um…" Tsuna fidgeted for a moment more, then took a deep breath, met Mukuro's eyes, and said, "Even if… we don't rut at all, or you stop courting me, and… even after Chrome is healed, would… could we be friends?"

Mukuro's eyes widened a little, before narrowing thoughtfully. "You want to be friends with me?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. And… with Chrome, too. I want us to be friends."

Mukuro looked to be considering it for a minute. At last, he said, "If you've given me no reason to object by the time Chrome has recovered, then I'll accept. I don't foresee that being a problem, though," he added with a smile, and bent in to kiss Tsuna's cheek.

Tsuna's arms wrapped tightly around Mukuro's neck, and in return Mukuro's arms settled around Tsuna's waist.

For a long minute, they just clung to one another. But then Mukuro ruined the moment by asking hopefully, "Would you like to rut now?"

Tsuna heaved an exasperated sigh, set his hands on Mukuro's shoulders, and pushed the kitsune back until their eyes met and Mukuro's arms fell to his sides.

"How about this, Mukuro," Tsuna said, trying curb his annoyance into constructive criticism. "I'll tell you if I want to have sex. So stop asking me, okay?"

Mukuro blinked at him, expression somewhat startled before it shifted into being almost… pleased? "Alright," he agreed placidly.

"Thank you," Tsuna said, letting go.

Mukuro smiled at him, then reached for the shampoo.

* * *

End A/Ns: Alternate fic title: How to Train Your Kitsune


	7. Chapter 7

A/Ns: Brace yourselves for some mood whiplash in this one. And also very frank discussions of sex. 8D

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 7

* * *

As Mukuro toweled Tsuna dry after he was done bathing him, Tsuna stared at the creek. He wondered how his mother was doing. This afternoon would be three days since the hunting party had left; they were supposed to have gotten back by yesterday at the latest, successful or not. But Tsuna had been taken by the kitsune, and the others… would probably never get back.

Nana was probably really worried about him. And trying to figure out the cause of the sickness and save Nemachi, all while Tsuna was practically being pampered by a pair of kitsune, no help at all. He wasn't a very good apprentice. He could treat injuries well enough, but he was all but useless as a shaman. He hadn't even been able to figure out what…

Tsuna's brow wrinkled, and he bit his lower lip as he thought hard. "Mukuro?"

"What is it?"

"The river that flows into Nemachi… what's the source of it?"

"A lake near the top of that mountain," Mukuro replied, sounding bored. "When the winter snows up there melt, the river becomes as you saw it."

But winter had ended four months ago, this was_ summer _already; why was ice melt still bolstering the river? And there had been that thread of magic in the water – there had to be something more to it.

"Is there anything up there?" Tsuna pressed. "Something with magic? Another demon, or a spirit, or a land god?"

Mukuro shrugged. "Not that I've ever seen, and we've been here since before Chrome was born, and that was almost fifty years ago."

"Oh," Tsuna said, shoulders drooping. Mukuro gave him a half-bemused, half-contemplative look.

"Well, it is possible there's a spirit there, I suppose," Mukuro ventured as if trying to cheer Tsuna up. "We'd know if another demon moved into our territory, or if that area had a land god, but spirits do come and go, and to be honest we're not on that mountain very often. The other villages in our territory have more attractive humans, and like I said yesterday, Gesso even gives us offerings, and we have a human half-sister there. We don't have much cause to get that close to Nemachi, it's on the very edge of the opposite side of our territory."

Tsuna processed that information, and then horrible realization dawned. "So this place is… really far away from Nemachi."

"Well, if a kitsune is strong enough to shift the space around them, we can make the journey in just under an hour. That takes six tails or more to manage over such a long distance, you know," Mukuro said, fox vanity on full display. "But it would be a few days' hike for a human, I imagine."

"Oh." Great. Tsuna's stomach dropped further as he analyzed what he'd been told more closely. "So… if you don't go over there much… why were you…"

Mukuro's hands stilled, and for a long minute, he didn't answer, which was enough to all but confirm Tsuna's fears.

"Mother sensed shamans in the area, so she went to investigate," Mukuro said at last. "Chrome tagged along because she'd never been to that part of our territory before, and because she was curious about that illness. We only found out about it perhaps a week ago, because Mother saw the posting for aid they'd sent out to all the surrounding villages. Mother called me out to join them when she realized that you and your mother were medicine shamans who wanted to help with the disease; your mother's manners impressed her, I think, and so did yours when Chrome told us she'd met you. Mother wasn't actively going to help, but she wanted to be available in case a decent incentive to lend you aid was provided. Then…"

Mukuro paused, and said nothing for another few minutes. At last, he sighed, and continued, "Then that damn Demon Hunter started sending out some kind of… magical beacon, I think. _The medicine shaman's apprentice needs help, come quickly, _was the gist of it. We ignored it at first, because we didn't recognize the shaman's… mental signature, is the best term I can think of for it, but then Chrome caught your scent and took off, Mother and I hurried after her, and we tripped right into the barrier the Demon Hunter had set up. Mother was able to break the barrier right before she died, and then I made the maze. I saw you throw yourself between Chrome and the man attacking her, by the way," he added quietly. "That's what convinced me to leave you be while I constructed the maze, as I wouldn't have been able to do anything for her myself. – Shh, Tsunayoshi, shh."

Mukuro's arms wrapped around Tsuna, pulling him into a close hug while Tsuna hiccupped and sobbed, tears streaming down his face.

He should never have gone with Kotone's hunting party! He'd just went along because he'd thought he could save someone, and even though he had, that someone never would have gotten hurt in the first place if Tsuna hadn't been there, and the kitsune probably wouldn't have fallen for any other type of trap, and so basically it was all his fault that Chrome had gotten hurt and that Mukuro and Chrome's mother had been killed. And that everyone else in the hunting party was gone forever, too.

Tsuna clung to Mukuro as he wailed with guilt and misery. The kitsune held him tightly, stroking Tsuna's hair.

"I told you, the matter's settled," Mukuro said after the crying had carried on for a few minutes, voice soft but firm. "It's sweet how much you care, darling, and I can't deny that your guilt and grief are satisfying to a certain extent. But these noises are irritating, this is not very cute, and I do not want to see what all it is that your face is leaking onto me. Please desist."

Tsuna sucked on air, coughing wetly, trying to do as Mukuro asked and stop crying. It wasn't a very _nice _way of asking, but… that made it easier to choke back the tears.

When he'd managed to rein himself in to just sniffling, Mukuro wordlessly led him back into the water, took up the soap again, and began to wash Tsuna's face, forcing Tsuna to close his eyes or risk having them invaded by stinging suds.

Finally, Mukuro was satisfied, and he guided Tsuna back to the towels, where he dried Tsuna's head off vigorously enough to prevent him from speaking. Mukuro darted back into the cave for a moment, and when he returned, it was with the comb in one hand and some kind of leaf in the other.

"Chew that," Mukuro instructed, all but shoving the leaf into Tsuna's mouth.

"Mint?" Tsuna managed to garble out as he obediently chewed.

"It will improve your breath so I can kiss you without reservation after I've brushed your hair and gotten you dressed," Mukuro supplied helpfully.

"What if I don't want you to kiss me?" Tsuna grumbled. He still felt bad about Mukuro's mother, but… that had _not _ been a nice way to ask Tsuna to stop crying. At all. And Mukuro's apparent sense of entitlement to the right to kiss Tsuna was kind of annoying.

Halfway through the first pass of the comb, Mukuro paused. "You don't want me to kiss you?"

"I don't know," Tsuna said. "You didn't ask."

He could all but hear the kitsune tilt his head. "You want me to ask before I kiss you?"

"…Yes, please."

"Alright."

Tsuna relaxed, mollified. A lot of Mukuro's behavior during the courting had been invasive, but from everything Tsuna had seen and heard, it was just a combination of being possessive and honestly not knowing any better, and so far he'd been pliant whenever Tsuna asked him to do something. If Tsuna was reading his tone right, Mukuro even seemed kind of happy that Tsuna was making requests.

So then maybe…

"Um, Mukuro… could I… a-ask you about sex without you thinking that means I want to have sex?" Tsuna asked, face tinted with red.

Mukuro's combing paused again, and the silence stretched on long enough that Tsuna could tell that _was _a difficult concept for him.

"You want to talk about sex," Mukuro said at last, rolling the words over in his mouth as if tasting a strange new food, "but not have sex."

"Y-yeah."

"I… believe I can accommodate you," Mukuro said. "What did you want to ask?"

Tsuna squirmed, blushing harder. He still wasn't used to how frankly the kitsune talked about such intimate topics, and he was embarrassed to be asking about it, but… he couldn't ask his mother about this stuff, she was his _Mom, _and he didn't have anyone else to ask, and people just didn't talk about the clinical details of sex where strangers could hear. Or at least, not where a young, prepubescent, or just-recently-pubescent boy could hear.

"W-well, um, I've… I've never, uh, you know, uh… and… I, um. D-don't know. How it would work, with… two guys. I… only have the basic idea of how it would work with a guy and a girl."

Coaxing out a tangle, Mukuro said thoughtfully, "So your education has been deficient, then?"

"My teacher is my _mother,_" Tsuna pointed out.

"So was mine."

"…I-it's _awkward _to talk about this kind of thing with Mom! And please don't ask me why, this is embarrassing enough as it is," Tsuna moaned, bringing his hands up to cover his face.

"Humans are so strange," Mukuro huffed after a moment of baffled silence. "Well, anyway, there are many methods of rutting, as the basic idea is to pleasure your partner's genitals while they pleasure yours, or take turns pleasuring one another, or sometimes even giving pleasure without seeking to receive any back. The most common parts of one's body to use in addition to the genitals would be the hands, mouth, or anus. Male humans can receive genital pleasure by specific stimulation to the latter, so I suppose penetration of the anus could be considered the equivalent of the 'basic' male-to-female mating with two males. Though male and female partners have as much variety at their disposal as anyone else, particularly if the usage of tools or toys is involved."

Somehow managing to work his lips and jaw through a blood-bruised face, Tsuna asked, "D-doesn't, um… w-wouldn't that… hurt? A-ana… anal… p-p-penetration, I mean."

"Not if you do it right," Mukuro said, before leaning in to murmur in Tsuna's ear, "And I do know what I'm doing, Tsunayoshi. I wouldn't make you endure a single moment of pain." Straightening, he went on casually, "Though if it would assuage some of your fears, I don't mind rutting with you while female, if that would be your preference."

Shapeshifters.

"Th-that… I don't think… I'd ask you for that," Tsuna squeaked out. "I mean, um… I'm… fine either way, so… I'd – _if _it came up, um… I'd rather… you stay like this." He just wasn't ready to wrap his mind around having sex with someone in a different body than the one he'd gotten to know, the one he knew they preferred since they used it by default. And _if _he ended up having sex with Mukuro, it was only because Mukuro needed to be comforted through the grief of his mother's death – asking him to use a body that was his second choice didn't seem very considerate, given the circumstances.

"Mm, alright. That's probably for the best, since we don't have any means to prevent pregnancy," Mukuro allowed, making Tsuna sputter and choke. "May I ask you something too, Tsunayoshi?"

"Um, yeah…"

Mukuro moved around to stand in front of Tsuna. He brushed Tsuna's bangs out of his eyes and tucked them behind his ear, then slid a finger along Tsuna's jaw until it was positioned under his chin and could tip his face up, forcing Tsuna to make eye contact.

"What is it that you think I'm going to do to you?" Mukuro asked, tone gentle but with a hint of plaintiveness. "Rutting would feel good, for both of us. I want to make you feel good, too. I am glad we've gotten to know one another better, but you still seem so frightened and uncomfortable with the idea of sex. It's more than just wanting to have a bond with your partner, isn't it? I'm not asking you to change your mind, but I would like to reassure you, if I can. If you tell me no… I'd prefer that it be because you would just rather not, or even that you just aren't in the mood, instead of because… you're afraid of me."

Tsuna's heart pounded in his chest, face hot as a desert. Mukuro _had _addressed most of the reasons why Tsuna would refuse – not knowing him well enough, not knowing what he was doing, being afraid that it would hurt – or they had never applied in the first place; he _was _attracted to Mukuro, and he'd come to really enjoy touching and being touched by him. And even though Mukuro kept bringing it up, Tsuna was now confident that if he ultimately refused, if he said flat-out that he was not interested in having sex at all and would never be, Mukuro would accept that answer and let the topic drop for good. And not think any less of him for it.

"…I'm not afraid of you," Tsuna whispered at last. "I don't know – "

"You are, though," Mukuro said, head canting to the side as his nostrils flared. "I can smell it. It's not necessarily that you're frightened of me as a person. Is there something you're frightened that I'll do? Or say? I just want you to be comfortable with me, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna gave up on trying to force his brain to use logic and just let himself babble the first thing that came to mind. "I… I don't want you to laugh at me!"

Mukuro blinked. "Why would I laugh at you?"

Tsuna hugged himself, averting his eyes and hunching his shoulders. "B-because… I, I don't know what I'm doing, a-and, and what if I make weird noises, or do something gross, or say something stupid, or mess up, or – what if I c-can't make you feel good too when you've been doing so much for me – w-what if, what if I… do something to make you hate me again, or… or not want to be friends with me – "

Mukuro's arms wrapped around him and pulled him flush against the kitsune's body. "Tsuna," he purred, and hearing Mukuro say his nickname for the first time made Tsuna's nerves and attraction both skyrocket, "Even if any of those things were remotely possible, I would still not laugh at you or make fun of you. I want to take care of you. I want to make you feel good. I want to make you smile. I want you to feel _safe _with me. Whether we rut or not."

Tsuna's eyes darted back up to Mukuro's face, watching him closely. "Y-you promise… not to make fun of me? Or laugh at me?"

Mukuro's lips quirked, eyes warm. "I promise not to make fun of, or laugh at you… in regards to sex."

Tsuna swallowed. Except he'd practically forgotten that he'd been chewing on the mint the whole time, so even though it was completely mush, he wheezed a little as he tried not to choke.

When he finally got it down, he glanced back at Mukuro only to see that the kitsune almost looked to be in pain, from… trying not to laugh at him. It wasn't related to sex, but Mukuro was very right to think that laughing for _any _reason at this exact moment was a bad idea.

Despite himself, Tsuna smiled.

"…Mukuro, is… doing something fun together part of courting?" Tsuna asked tentatively.

Mukuro blinked. "Usually, yes. Why, do you want to play?"

"S-sort of. I'd… like to visit one of the nearby villages with you. Gesso, I guess, since that sounds like it would be safest."

Mukuro looked a little bit doubtful. "We'd be leaving Chrome alone, though."

"I'll take a look at her wounds again, first, to make sure she'll be alright while we're gone," Tsuna said. He lowered his voice in case Chrome was awake in the cave and listening, and went on, "We could get her a present, too. I bet she'd like that. And with this barrier up, she'd be safe, right?"

Mukuro thought about it for a minute more, then finally smiled. "Alright, Tsunayoshi. Let's go on a date."

* * *

End A/Ns: Ahahaha I bet you guys thought for a moment that you were going to get some sexy fun times already nnnooooope~

But soon, my darlings. Soon. 8D

For the curious, this is how I've worked out kitsune aging: years 1-5 are more or less identical to human children, putting them at the equivalent of a human aged 5 when they are themselves 5 years old. It then takes them a decade to age the equivalent of a 5-year-old to a 10-year-old. From that point, they age the equivalent of one human year per decade, until they reach the equivalent of age 18, and then one last quick 5-year growth spurt to reach the equivalent of a 25-year-old human, at which point they are considered full adults (which is because that is when they have their final tail count), though they may leave their dams as early as being the human equivalent of 16 or 17. So it takes them about a century to reach adulthood.

Mukuro is about 70 years old (human age equivalent 15 and a half), and Chrome is a little over 50 years old (human age equivalent 13 and a half), which is also the age at which kitsune first become able to rut. (Chrome has not, in fact, had sex yet, but she's technically old enough by kitsune standards.) They can sire/bear human children from that point on, but their kitsune bodies are not capable of siring/bearing cubs until they're 75-ish.

This aging pattern is relatively standard across all species of demon. (Some take a decade to reach human equivalent 10 years old instead of taking 15 years to reach that point like kitsune do, and/or the decade after reaching human equivalent 17 takes them straight to human equivalent 25 because their magic is already stable and they're not growing extra body parts.)

Tsuna is 14, and well aware of all of this because he's a medicine shaman and in addition to medicine/healing his education focuses on demons, spirits, land gods, and whatnot.

And yes I wanted an excuse to share some of my premise development since I don't want to bog down the narrative with an info dump. 8D;;;


	8. Chapter 8

A/Ns: having five whole days with no commitments whatsoever is the best thing ever omfg

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 8

* * *

Given that Chrome was awake when Tsuna and Mukuro went back into the cave, and her single eye glared at them with hurt accusation, Tsuna figured it was safe to assume she had heard them making plans.

"I'll go get clothes ready for us. We'll be going out for a while, Chrome," Mukuro said, and cheerfully abandoned Tsuna to bear the brunt of Chrome's distress.

Traitor, Tsuna though grumpily, before taking his medicine box and going to kneel next to Chrome. Though she let him have access to her belly, she refused to look at him.

Scrambling to think of some way to earn her forgiveness, Tsuna tried to keep his tone casual and suggested, "Say, Chrome? How about when you're healed, you and I go visit a village together, just the two of us? As friends," he clarified quickly when he heard what might have been a faint rumble of displeasure from deeper in the cave, before continuing, "The summer solstice festival is coming up, you should have recovered completely by then."

Plus, given the apparent size of their territory, even if they'd left Nemachi, Nana and Tsuna should still be in the area. The summer solstice was only nine days away.

Chrome's head and ears came up, and she licked Tsuna's cheek enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, I'd love that! Could I wear my nice kimono? Could I?"

"Ask Mukuro," Tsuna replied, laughing as he gently put up his hands to discourage her from continuing to lick him. He finished rubbing the medicinal cream into her stitches and added, "And I'll leave it up to you as to whether or not you want to invite him to come along, too."

Chrome reclined back, looking pleased. Tsuna thought that was the safest way to leave the arrangement; no way would Mukuro be happy about being left out of their plans, so it was on the kitsune to make amends with his sister for monopolizing Tsuna's attention, which was as it should be. Tsuna wanted to avoid being caught in the middle of sibling squabbles as much as possible.

"Tsunayoshi, come here," Mukuro's voice called from deeper in the cave. "We'll get ready and then go."

Tsuna gave Chrome one last scratch behind her ears before he stood and followed Mukuro's voice further into the cave.

To his surprise, after a short coiling passageway, the other side of the cave opened outside again, facing a large shrine on rocky mountain terrain. The barrier was still visible, and much closer in than on the other side – in fact, as Tsuna looked closer, he realized that it covered part of the shrine, though how much he couldn't tell since he couldn't see anything past the barrier. Not that it was doing physical damage to the building, of course, but it was a weird set-up. So normal people would be able to enter the front of the shrine, but not have access to the rest of it?

Mukuro was standing in front of the shrine – dressed, for the first time that Tsuna had seen, and in a gorgeous indigo men's kimono. He'd styled his hair, too, with a zig-zagging part and a tuft on top of the back of his head. He wore earrings and a few other pieces of beautiful, expensive-looking jewelry, and examining at his face, Tsuna thought he might have put on just a little bit of make-up.

Then he saw that Mukuro was holding an equally beautiful men's kimono in his arms, this one a vibrant golden-orange – Tsuna hadn't even known men's kimono were made in that color! – and there was a box with more jewelry and make-up sitting on a post next to him.

"Oh, um – "

"Time to get ready," Mukuro purred, and that was the end of any protest Tsuna might have wanted to make.

Once he was clothed and bejeweled and styled to Mukuro's satisfaction, Tsuna looked down at himself with a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. He felt so out of place, wearing things like this – like he was some kind of poser, or perhaps a leech on the kitsune's kindness. Well, Mukuro and Chrome had made it clear they were happier looking at him when he was decked out like this, but… it just didn't feel right to be wearing things he never would have been able to afford.

Tsuna was broken from his train of thought when Mukuro gave him a spritz of perfume, of all things, before taking another bottle with a different scent and putting some on himself.

Looking supremely satisfied, Mukuro packed up the jewelry box, and walked in the back entrance of the shrine. Tsuna hesitated, then followed after him.

There was a large storage room right near the back door, and as Tsuna had expected it was filled with rich clothing, jewelry, tools, and no less than _six _wooden buckets with various types of bathing products. There were even some purely decorative items. A true kitsune hoard, Tsuna thought dazedly.

He tried not to notice the variety and number of objects that were clearly sexual in nature.

Mukuro put the jewelry and make-up box away, then fished around until he found a hefty purse that jangled cheerfully as Mukuro tucked it inside his kimono. Then, smiling, Mukuro offered Tsuna his hand, which Tsuna shyly accepted.

"What is this place?" Tsuna asked as Mukuro led him through the shrine. The more he saw of it, the more obvious it became that it hadn't been built to honor kitsune.

"There used to be a land god here," Mukuro replied. "Her name was Morihime, and she was good friends with my mother. I think they were mates for a while when Mother was young. When she returned to the earth, she gave this place to us, so Mother set up a territory around it."

"What about your father?" Tsuna asked tentatively. "You haven't mentioned him at all."

"You haven't spoken of yours, either," Mukuro pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "But in my case there's nothing to tell, really. Mother wanted cubs, so she found someone who met her standards of beauty and power and rutted with her." Tsuna was proud of himself for not being too startled by the pronoun. He was getting used to hanging out with shapeshifters. And from everything he'd heard so far, it sounded like Mukuro's mother had preferred women, so really he _shouldn't _be surprised at all.

"Chrome and I have different sires, but we've never met either of them," Mukuro finished, shrugging. "What about yours, Tsunayoshi? His scent isn't on you."

Tsuna hunched his shoulders, brow wrinkled. "Oh, he… he's a shaman, too, but… I don't see him very much. It's been four years since the last time we met, and that was only the third time I'd ever met him that I can remember."

"He's a medicine shaman, too?"

"…No."

Mukuro paused in his tracks for a moment, then said in a clipped tone, "I see," and continued walking.

Tsuna squirmed, uncomfortable. He didn't _like _his father, but something still prodded him to say, "He's… he's not like, you know, um. That woman. He doesn't just... you know… fight for fun."

"That you know of," Mukuro said mildly.

"That I know of," Tsuna agreed, grimacing.

Mukuro glanced at him. "You dislike him?"

"…Yeah."

Mukuro seemed to think about that for a second, then smiled and wove his fingers together with Tsuna's. "Here's the barrier," he said. "Close your eyes, darling, and don't let go of me, alright? The barrier will still affect you, but if you're in contact with me and can't see the visual illusions you'll make it through."

Tsuna nodded, and screwed his eyes shut just as they stepped into the barrier.

A cacophony of soundless noise crashed against the inside of his skull, and an uncomfortable buzzing sensation pulsated over his skin. The air was thick, and stank like rotting garbage, he couldn't _breathe – _

Then they were on the other side, and Mukuro was pulling him close, stroking his hair comfortingly.

Tsuna didn't open his eyes until Mukuro said quietly, "We're out. I'm sorry, Tsunayoshi, but I don't want to risk dropping it for even a second while Chrome's wounded inside."

Tsuna gave him a shaky smile as his senses cleared. "It's okay, I understand." He looked around the front of the shrine, and stopped short, blinking with confusion. Aside from a few sets of kitsune footprints, the place was a complete and utter dump, in disrepair and coated liberally with dust. "I thought Gesso gave you offerings?"

"Not _here _they don't," Mukuro replied, lips quirking with amusement. "The nearest village to Morihime's shrine is Juzawa, and it was destroyed by a flood over fifty-five years ago. This is the center of our territory, though, so this is where we keep our den. Mother didn't want it to be somewhere humans could get to easily, anyway. But Gesso isn't too far, it will only take me a few minutes to shift us there. I just need to be outside."

Mukuro escorted Tsuna out the front entrance of the shrine, down the steps, and over the neglected pathway until they passed beneath the overgrown torii gate. Tsuna got a brief glimpse of a steep staircase carved into the mountain trail covered with a blanket of moss and surrounded by dense forest before Mukuro draped an arm over his shoulders, pulled him in close, and the space around them began to waver and blur.

The scent of magic made Tsuna's nose itch, and the world seeming to spin around him made him dizzy. He closed his eyes again, only opening them four or five minutes later when Mukuro said, "We're here."

Tsuna looked around. They were standing on the pathway in front of a smaller shrine, but a much better-tended one. Kitsune statues lined the sides of the path, so it was even set up specifically in their honor.

The area wasn't as mountainous – though Tsuna could see mountains in the distance – so from here he couldn't get as clear a view of the land, except for seeing a few trees rising above the fence that enclosed the shrine. It was warmer here, too, and there was a whole chorus of cicadas filling the air with their cries.

"Ah, one last thing before we go to the village," Mukuro said. "I would prefer the people here not know about my mother's death yet. Since you seem like someone incapable of lying convincingly, if someone asks about her, just look to me and try to give off the impression that you don't know anything, alright?"

"Oh, um, okay," Tsuna said. "I'll try, but… what about your, um, your half-sister?"

"She probably already knows," Mukuro said, making Tsuna's brow wrinkle. "Oh, and also, there's a land god here. He's a very unpleasant person. Don't let him touch you, or talk to you beyond the barest of minimums, or make extended eye contact with you. You're _mine, _and I absolutely refuse to share your attention with him."

Tsuna eyed Mukuro warily. Even though the kitsune was in human form, Tsuna almost had the impression of fox tails nearly vibrating with agitation.

"I'll do my best," Tsuna replied at last. "But you know you can trust me, right, Mukuro? Even if I end up needing to do any of that, I wouldn't – "

"I know you wouldn't," Mukuro assured him, his warm smile gaining sharp edges as he continued, "It's _him _I don't trust to play fair. Shaman or not, you're only human, Tsunayoshi, and land gods have ways of getting what they want regardless of whether the human would consent under their own power."

"Oh," Tsuna said, stomach sinking. "_Oh, _um, you – you think he'd – "

"I wouldn't put it past him," Mukuro said, a light growl in his voice. "He's always enjoyed taunting me, and I'm sure he'll see you as a prime toy with which to do so again. I'll do my best to protect you, though."

A kitsune against a land god in his own territory? Sure, Mukuro had six tails, so depending on the strength and age of this land god it might not be _impossible, _but…

Tsuna reached up, and before Mukuro could do more than look at him curiously, yanked out a strand of the kitsune's hair. Mukuro let out an indignant yelp, hand flying to his head.

"You – what are you _doing, _that's my _hair, _if you disheveled it – you think just because I'm courting you, that you can – "

"Tie this around my pinky finger," Tsuna interrupted, holding out the hair. "That should give me some protection if someone else tries to manipulate me."

Mukuro's whining cut off and he blinked, head tilting curiously. He obediently tied the hair around the designated finger, and as he did so, Tsuna muttered a specific prayer under his breath. He tripped over the wording a little, so he heaved a sigh of relief when he felt the spell settle into place.

He glanced at Mukuro, and was not at all surprised to see the kitsune looking _very _interested.

"Oya, is that doing what I think it's doing?"

"It only lasts for a few hours and it doesn't activate unless I say the incantation with a fresh hair so don't get any ideas," Tsuna said hastily. "Once it wears off I'm not doing it again!"

Mukuro just purred and rubbed his cheek in Tsuna's hair.

* * *

End A/Ns: Gee I wonder who the land god of _Gesso _could possibly be, that Mukuro would have such a bad impression of him~ ;D


	9. Chapter 9

A/Ns: I despise writing dates why do I keep doing this to myself uggggggh. (If you've read To Our Mutual Benefit, you'll understand.)

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 9

* * *

As Mukuro escorted Tsuna towards the village, Tsuna wondered if the linking spell had really been worth it.

Usually, they were used to appease particularly possessive or territorial demons while a medicine shaman worked in the area they inhabited – it let the demon know exactly where the shaman was, let the demon's magic supersede the shaman's (or any other type of magic being placed on the shaman), and gave the demon just the barest of access to being able to intuit the shaman's intentions – in other words, the demon could tell if the shaman lied or meant to do harm. As a result, linking spells tended to bolster good will and trust towards the medicine shaman and make it easier for them to do their jobs.

That's how Nana had explained the spell to Tsuna when she taught it to him, but he was starting to wonder if there were side effects he didn't know about, because Mukuro couldn't seem to stop sniffing him, and was projecting almost a sense of _giddiness. _

At least he was in a good mood now, Tsuna thought. It was almost _cute, _how happy Mukuro was. And it made it easier for Tsuna to relax and be excited about visiting Gesso, too.

The kitsune shrine was situated in a lightly wooded area, the trees so few and spread out that it wasn't even really a forest. A minute or so of walking showed the path dipping into a shallow valley, which led to a large village – more a town, actually, much bigger than Nemachi and with its buildings tightly packed together. It looked a lot wealthier than Nemachi, too.

The road they were on branched, part of it dipping into Gesso proper while the other fork led along the high ground to a lodging large and grand enough to be a district lord's seat. Which was exactly what it was, Tsuna realized.

"Is that where your human sister lives?" Tsuna asked, remembering that Mukuro had said the girl's mother was the district lord's daughter.

"Mmhm," Mukuro hummed, face half-buried in Tsuna's hair. "I like this magic."

"I can tell," Tsuna muttered with a wry half-smile. "Would you tell me a little bit about her? What's her name?"

"Yuni," Mukuro replied, reluctantly straightening. "She's eleven. There's a shrine to the land god further along that way, too, and she's being trained as a shrine maiden for it, so I doubt we'll see her today. She doesn't go into town often. It suits her well, though, given that she has prophetic abilities, and she's actually able to manage that louse's behavior to a certain extent."

"…You _really _dislike the land god here, huh."

"He's very annoying."

"That's so _rude, _Mukuro-kun," an unfamiliar voice sing-songed from behind them.

Mukuro growled, and his arm snapped possessively around Tsuna's waist.

Laughing, what appeared to be a young man in an elaborate white kimono decorated with light purple flowers and swirling designs circled around in front of them before they could turn to face him. He had soft white spikes of hair, pale purple eyes, a cheerful smile, and a magical scent so strong Tsuna was startled he hadn't picked up on it until the moment the land god spoke.

"And who are you, shaman boy?" the land god asked Tsuna with a warm and interested smile.

"Um, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi," Tsuna replied, bowing politely. "It's an honor to meet the land god of Gesso."

"Yes it is," the land god agreed brightly. "You may call me Byakuran, Tsunayoshi-kun." Turning his smile on Mukuro, Byakuran said, "Where did you find such a cute human, Mukuro-kun?"

"He was the only one in the vicinity, so it hardly matters, does it?" Mukuro retorted, baring his teeth so that it sort of looked like a smile. If you were half-blind and completely incapable of reading someone else's mood.

"Mm, is that so?" Attention sliding back to Tsuna, Byakuran said, "Kitsune can be so snarly, can't they, Tsunayoshi-kun? And they have such one-track minds! Let me guess, he's only been using you to rut with, right?"

Tsuna flushed. "N-no, he's not – we haven't – "

"No?" Byakuran looked genuinely surprised for a moment, and then he laughed again. "Well, you must be awfully bored, then. Kitsune aren't much good for anything but sex. If you ever wanted to come play with me, Tsunayoshi-kun, we'd have much more fun!"

Tsuna felt the tug of Byakuran's magic and tensed up. Mukuro was right, Tsuna wouldn't have been able to resist that on his own. But since the linking spell meant Byakuran's magic had to go through Mukuro's to get to Tsuna, he didn't have to worry.

Although, oddly enough – he could still sort of feel what the magic was trying to do. _Look at me, play with me, like me, _was the extent of it… and there wasn't the tiniest flicker of sexual heat beneath it.

So while Mukuro had been absolutely right that Byakuran would try and divert Tsuna's attention, the kitsune's implications that that meant in a sexual capacity had been wrong (not that it was surprising that a kitsune would be so sure that everyone wanted to rut).

Byakuran wasn't interested in sex, the land god just wanted to play. He wasn't a bad person; that's what Tsuna's intuition told him. Spending time with Byakuran might even actually be fun. Just… not when Tsuna was being courted by a territorial kitsune who snapped at anyone who came too close.

Tsuna couldn't really blame Mukuro either, though. Playful land gods could mean major headaches.

"Thank you for the offer," Tsuna said before Mukuro's snarling could shift into something more aggressive and Byakuran could get over the startlement of his attempted attention-grabbing being brushed off.

Since Mukuro was too busy trying to stare down Byakuran, though, he didn't take the cue to start moving, so with a hefty sigh, and a silent prayer that neither kitsune nor land god would take offense, Tsuna just started walking, though he did make sure to mumble, "If you'll excuse us." And as Mukuro's arm was still tight around his waist, the kitsune got dragged along with him.

Both Mukuro and Byakuran stared blankly at Tsuna, but Mukuro let himself be led away and Byakuran didn't try to stop them, although he did call cheerfully after them, "Come play with me some time, Mukuro-kun, Tsunayoshi-kun!"

Once there was some distance between them, Mukuro said again, this time sounding smug, "I like this magic."

"Uh-huh."

They went into the village, and spent the next few hours very pleasantly. Most of the villagers seemed to recognize Mukuro for who and what he was, and while they were slightly wary and gave the pair a wide berth, they weren't hostile, and every peddler and shopkeeper perked up upon spotting the kitsune.

They bought a pair of fancy decorative hair chopsticks for Chrome, as well as an eye patch for her to wear in her human form. Mukuro also encouraged Tsuna to shop for himself, and once his protests had been worn down by frequent prodding, Tsuna picked out a lovely jade comb for his mother, which met Mukuro's aesthetic standards of what he would spend money on while also not being so lavish that Tsuna felt guilty.

Mukuro did a fair bit of shopping of his own, picking out some truly gorgeous hand-painted kimono with prices that made Tsuna feel faint – and he was pretty sure that the seller, along with everyone else they'd bought from, was giving them a bit of a discount, as much to respect the kitsune as to encourage frequent patronage.

Tsuna understood at least part of the reason why the villagers gave Mukuro such a wide berth as the day went on – the kitsune partially manifested his tails in order to carry their packages, so not only were they presented with the bizarre sight of boxes floating in mid-air behind him, they also risked brushing against invisible, not-wholly-tangible tails if they came too close, and that must be a disconcerting experience. Tsuna was glad that, as a shaman, he could at least see outlines, and thus could avoid them and the gooseflesh-raising feeling touching them would elicit.

But Tsuna also thought it said a lot that Mukuro was so comfortable being open about what he was here. Gesso was nothing like Nemachi, that was for sure.

Other purchases included a fine tea set, a high quality medicine box and some equally high-quality supplies to fill it out (Mukuro all but bullied Tsuna into those acquisitions), and, oddly enough, a few books.

"Do you like to read?" Tsuna asked Mukuro when they finished out the shopping trip by visiting a takoyaki stand.

"Of course," Mukuro said, flicking his hair out of his face. "Don't you?"

"Oh, um, well… Mom has a few books about shaman stuff," Tsuna replied, squirming, cheeks pink. "They're… good…"

"Can you read?" Mukuro asked, looking amused, and Tsuna flushed completely.

"O-of course I can! But, um… not… very well…"

Mukuro chuckled. "Well, while you're still with us, I can give you the chance to practice, if you like. You won't improve otherwise, after all."

"Oh, um… yeah…"

_While you're still with us. _It was so weird, he'd only been with Mukuro and Chrome for a few days, and he'd had so much to be frightened and worried about during that time, but…

He'd come to care for them a lot. They were his first friends, and he didn't want to leave them behind.

They started walking back towards the kitsune shrine when the sun began to set (which was also when the linking spell began to wear off). Tsuna pressed in close to Mukuro, clinging lightly to the kitsune's clothes – not enough to tug or wrinkle, just to hold on to him. Mukuro let out a soft rumble of pleasure, and casually wrapped an arm around Tsuna's shoulders.

As they approached the shrine, Mukuro paused, nostrils flaring. Then, he started walking again at a quicker pace, letting go of Tsuna in the process.

Tsuna yelped and tried to keep up, baffled as to what was going on until they passed through the torii gate at the front entrance, and he saw a young girl in an apprentice shrine maiden's uniform waiting for them. Given that she looked to be about eleven, had fine black hair, and bright blue eyes reminiscent of the seven-tailed kitsune's, this had to be Yuni.

When she saw them, she ran up and threw her arms around Mukuro's waist, hugging him tightly. After a brief pause, Mukuro carefully draped his arms over her shoulders and patted her on the back lightly.

"How are you, Yuni?" he asked quietly.

"Hanging in there," the girl replied, with a smile that didn't quite seem _forced, _but… Tsuna could tell it was a struggle for her to muster it. "What about you, Mukuro? And Chrome? Is she recovering alright?"

Tsuna blinked, and then remembered what Mukuro had said about Yuni having prophetic abilities.

"Yes, she's recovering well," Mukuro replied, stepping back to disengage contact with Yuni.

"That's a relief, at least," Yuni said, then turned to smile at Tsuna. "And it's thanks to you, right? You're the medicine shaman helping her. I'm Yuni."

"Oh, um, I'm Tsuna. Sawada Tsunayoshi. And, um, yeah, I've been helping Chrome. It's the least I can do," Tsuna added, looking away as he remembered why it was she'd gotten hurt in the first place.

"It's nice to meet you, Tsuna," Yuni said warmly. "It's alright if I call you that, right?"

"Yeah," Tsuna assured her. His brow wrinkled with slight confusion as she approached him and gently took his right hand in hers.

"You're wearing the ring," Yuni said, looking pleased, running her fingers over the beautiful ring Mukuro had given Tsuna yesterday. "Good. I slipped it in with the offering because I'd seen that it would find its way to you. Did you see the others?"

"The others?" Tsuna repeated blankly.

Yuni nodded. "The other rings. There are six more, underneath the top setting. Keep those with you, at _all _times, okay? If you want to save those meant to wear them, it's _really _important that you always have them at hand."

"Um… okay?" Tsuna said, darting an uncertain look at Mukuro. The kitsune shrugged, looking just as bemused.

Well, Tsuna wasn't about to disobey a prophet. Especially if other peoples' lives were at stake.

Yuni smiled at him, then, much to Tsuna's flustered surprise, threw her arms around his neck for a quick hug.

"Thank you for helping my brother and sister," she murmured in his ear before she drew back. "Don't you make that face at me," Yuni tossed over her shoulder at Mukuro, who was bristling. "I bet he'll like you better if you don't act so possessive all the time."

Mukuro looked affronted, and Tsuna's eye twitched.

Yuni ignored both reactions, smiled at them beatifically, and then trotted off the shrine grounds, calling back, "Bye, Mukuro! It was nice meeting you, Tsuna! Come visit again sometime!"

Mukuro and Tsuna watched her go, then looked at each other.

"…_Would _you prefer my not being as… possessive?" Mukuro asked stiffly.

Tsuna blinked, and thought about it. "I don't know, maybe?" he said at last, honestly. "I don't mind it too much right now, but I think over a longer period of time it _would _get a little bit frustrating."

Mukuro was silent for a minute, and then said, "I see."

Then Mukuro offered Tsuna his arm. "Come, Tsunayoshi. Let's go home."

Tsuna's eyes widened a little, but he was surprised at how few reservations he had about taking Mukuro's arm and saying, "Yeah. It's… time to go home."

* * *

End A/Ns: Why haven't I gotten to the sexy bits yet omfg what is wrong with me.


	10. Chapter 10

A/Ns: I spent four hours writing this one.

Warnings: SMUT. Very mild knotting (I don't go into all the common aspects of the kink, it's pretty much just the very basic "cock can enlarge" type thing because shapeshifter).

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 10

* * *

Mukuro shifted them back to Morihime's shrine, and then led Tsuna back through the barrier. Which wasn't quite as uncomfortable this time, probably due to the last dregs of the linking spell connecting their magic together.

They put their purchases away in the storage room, and then Mukuro wanted to take off the men's kimono and jewelry so they could put them away neatly.

After spending the day clothed and back amongst humans, Tsuna couldn't help but blush a little at their both being naked again. He found his eyes lingering on Mukuro's back as the kitsune carefully stored the clothing, really taking in the lithe body, the wiry muscles, the long legs, the beautiful black hair.

"Mukuro?" he asked shyly.

"Mmhm?"

"M-may I… touch you?"

Mukuro glanced over his shoulder, giving Tsuna a fresh view of striking red-and-blue eyes set in the kitsune's beautiful facial features.

"Certainly," Mukuro replied, intensity in his gaze stark before he turned away again – he still needed to finish folding the kimono and packing them away neatly.

Tsuna swallowed dryly, but closed the distance between them. Slowly, tentatively, he lifted his hand until his fingertips brushed over Mukuro's shoulder blade. The kitsune's skin was so smooth, and warm, and close.

Today had been a lot of fun. Although the last few days had certainly had their high and low points, right now what stood out most in Tsuna's mind was how nice being bathed had felt, how warm it had been to sleep curled up between the two foxes, how every time Mukuro's breath had gusted against him had made his heart pound, his stomach flutter.

And what also stood out in his mind was how quickly Chrome's injuries were healing. He'd been distracted thinking about the date this morning, but – remembering back, he was pretty sure he could take the stitches out by the day after tomorrow, at the latest.

Tsuna's fingers curled against Mukuro's skin, his forehead tipping in to rest against Mukuro's back.

He'd never had friends before, let alone friends who so enjoyed his attention, or who would do as much for him as Mukuro had. And even if they all went to the summer solstice festival together, after that, he'd have to say goodbye to them, wouldn't he? And it might be years before Tsuna and Nana returned to this part of the country.

Tsuna's palms traced Mukuro's ribcage until they met over his chest, and he hugged him tightly, trying to memorize the kitsune's scent, his warmth, the gentle rise and fall of his breathing.

Mukuro wasn't fussing with the kimono anymore, Tsuna realized. He was just standing passively, letting Tsuna touch him however he wanted, not asking for anything in return, even though Tsuna knew he probably wanted to.

Heat rose through Tsuna's face, and it felt like his whole body temperature spiked. Maybe, he should – after all –

Heart pounding with nerves that didn't quite overpower the attraction and desire he felt, Tsuna began to slide one of his hands lower, inch by inch. A long, slow caress of Mukuro's belly – was Mukuro breathing heavier? – and then –

Tsuna's fingers ghosted over the first inch of fine pubic hair – he didn't know it was possible for it to _be _that silky, his own certainly wasn't –

Then Tsuna's courage failed him and he jerked backwards, breaking contact, lifting his hands to cover a face throbbing with embarrassment.

Tsuna peeked out between his fingers as Mukuro turned around to look at him, head canted slightly to the side. Tsuna tensed, expecting Mukuro to ask why he'd stopped, what his intentions were, or encourage him to continue, try to reassure him, but as the minutes stretched on in silence it slowly dawned on him that Mukuro wasn't going to do any of that. The kitsune didn't make any demands or give any kind of cue at all for what to do; instead, he just waited, letting Tsuna decide what he wanted.

Tsuna took a few deep breaths, his heart pounding in his ears as he tried to steady himself. He forced his hands down and away from his face.

"W-would you, um… could you… t-touch… me?" Tsuna asked at last, voice so soft and shaky it was barely audible. His shoulders hunched a little, body so tense his muscles were beginning to feel strained. He was trembling, too. "J-just, um. Go slow. Please."

Mukuro stepped forward, closing the distance between them once more. His palms settled lightly on Tsuna's cheeks, thumbs stroking gentle reassurance until Tsuna could bring himself to meet Mukuro's eyes. The kitsune's gaze was smoky, but also warm and appreciative, and gave off the impression that he was satisfied just drinking in Tsuna's features. Tsuna could ask him to stop right now and Mukuro would still be happy with what Tsuna had given him.

I can trust him, Tsuna thought. He could trust Mukuro to take care of him. That's what Mukuro had said he'd wanted to do this morning, right? Take care of Tsuna, make him feel good. Make him happy. That's… what Tsuna wanted from Mukuro right now. To make him happy, and be made happy in return. Bathe in Mukuro's attention and affection while he still had it. Give Mukuro something in return for everything he'd done for him.

Tsuna didn't relax completely, but at least the shaking stopped. When it did, Mukuro's hands shifted back and down, until they settled on the nape of Tsuna's neck, lightly massaging, coaxing the muscles to relax.

Never breaking eye contact, Tsuna timidly settled his own hands low on Mukuro's waist, so that his thumbs could trace over the kitsune's hipbones. Mukuro smiled at him, and placed a soft kiss to the top of Tsuna's head before gently resting their foreheads together.

Mukuro's hands moved on to Tsuna's shoulders, fingers still kneading lightly, tension fading beneath his ministrations. Then they dipped lower, palms pressed against either side of Tsuna's chest, as his thumbs slowly circled Tsuna's nipples, already standing at attention. When he rubbed the back of his nails over them, feather-light, Tsuna shivered.

Mukuro's fingers slowed, his gaze turning questioning. Tsuna blushed, but rubbed his cheek plaintively against Mukuro's. "Keep going," he rasped.

Mukuro let out a soft, almost imperceptible rumble of affection and pleasure, and nuzzled Tsuna back.

As the minutes slipped by, Mukuro's hands continued to descend, waiting to continue until Tsuna had relaxed into what he was already doing. Tracing his ribs. Stroking his stomach. Caressing his hips.

Tsuna's forehead had fallen to brace itself on Mukuro's chest. He couldn't hear anything over the thudding of his heart or the heavy gusts of his breath. Everything was hot, dazzlingly hot, and so comfortable, so pleasurable. His nose was flooded with Mukuro's magic, Mukuro's musk. Mukuro's touch had long since sparked him hard, they both were, and even though Mukuro's hands hadn't gone near his erection, even the tiniest movement of Mukuro's fingers on Tsuna's skin was like a poker stirring life into the embers of Tsuna's arousal.

Mukuro's hands slid down and around to settle on the back of Tsuna's thighs, just beneath his buttocks, the kneading of his fingers washing away the last dregs of tension that were all that kept Tsuna vertical.

When Tsuna's legs went out from under him and he slumped against Mukuro, boneless, Mukuro effortlessly scooped him into his arms. Tsuna let his head rest against Mukuro's shoulder, panting. He thought he heard Mukuro fish around for something in a nearby bucket but he wasn't sure.

"There's a bedroom in the shrine," Mukuro murmured. "May we relocate there?"

"…Y… yeah."

Mukuro carried Tsuna through the shrine, until he slid a door open with his foot, stepped through, and closed it behind him the same way. He knelt and set Tsuna down gently onto a futon, fingers lifting to caress Tsuna's face as he pressed his lips to Tsuna's cheek.

One hand dipped down until the fingers lightly brushed the inside of Tsuna's thigh, making Tsuna gasp.

"May I touch you?" Mukuro said, the husky quality of his voice causing Tsuna's heart to accelerate and his heavy breathing to turn into labored pants.

Tsuna tried to make himself say "yes," but couldn't quite make his lips or throat work the way he wanted to, so he settled for a weak nod.

Mukuro spent a moment combing his fingers through Tsuna's pubic hair. Then, the tips of his fingers brushed against the base of Tsuna's cock. Tsuna shuddered violently, lurching forward to scrabble at Mukuro's shoulders. Mukuro's free hand lifted to stroke Tsuna's hair, tender and soothing. Once Tsuna had calmed a little, Mukuro began to lightly trail his fingers up and down Tsuna's length.

Tsuna's fingernails bit into Mukuro's skin, clinging for dear life as his body struggled to process the unfamiliar levels of stimulation. He'd masturbated before, sure, but it was _different _being fondled by someone else, especially after how much Mukuro had sensitized Tsuna's skin to his touch. He buried his nose in Mukuro's neck, inhaling the kitsune's scent for comfort, and in the hopes that it would help his emotions stabilize.

Mukuro's fingers trailed down the back of Tsuna's erection, lightly circled the base, gave his balls the barest of caresses, slid up the underside of Tsuna's cock, traced around the head, ran his thumb over the slit. Tsuna gasped, wanting to lift his hips into the petting but not wanting to accidentally disengage Mukuro or disrupt the steady flow of movement.

When Tsuna couldn't contain a high mewl, he felt Mukuro's body shudder, and belatedly remembered that he wanted to give pleasure, too, not just receive it.

He reached for Mukuro's own erection, but Mukuro gently caught his wrist and lifted Tsuna's hand to place a light kiss to his knuckles, capturing Tsuna's glazed eyes with the sharp intensity of his own.

"Do you remember our conversation this morning?" Mukuro asked, lips moving against Tsuna's skin.

Tsuna blinked at him dazedly until Mukuro shifted the hand on Tsuna's cock down, past his balls, to press lightly into the meat of Tsuna's ass.

Tsuna squeaked, comprehension dawning. "Oh, um, y-yeah, I… I remember." He hesitated a moment, then went on nervously, "You… you said it, it wouldn't hurt, right – "

"That's right," Mukuro replied. "I won't hurt you, Tsuna. And if you suffer a moment's doubt, if you wish me to stop for any reason, you need only say so, alright?"

Tsuna nodded, mouth too dry to speak. His eyes fastened on Mukuro's face, entrusting his body completely to whatever Mukuro wanted to do.

Mukuro stared back at him, then bent in to nuzzle Tsuna with fierce affection before sitting back again and picking up a small jar Tsuna hadn't seen before. That must be what Mukuro had grabbed from the storage room.

Mukuro scooped out what looked to be a kind of clear gel, rubbing his hands together to warm it. Then, he leaned forward, coaxing Tsuna onto his back, slipping his shoulder under Tsuna's leg. Tsuna quickly took the cue to try and lift his legs as much as he could, keeping his gaze pinned on Mukuro's face the whole time. Mukuro's eyes never left his, either, as he began to run one finger between Tsuna's cheeks, rubbing the gel into dry skin.

"W-what's that for?" Tsuna asked.

"In order for this not to hurt, you need to be lubricated and stretched," Mukuro answered with the familiar kitsune frankness. "So that I'll fit, and won't chafe you. Or myself," he added dryly, before continuing, "In order to stretch you, I'm going to put my fingers in you, alright? Starting with just one, of course. Can you relax for me, Tsuna?"

Tsuna swallowed, and willed his body to relax. Relax, relax. Deep breath in, let it out, let the tension go.

Mukuro pressed one slick finger against Tsuna's entrance, his free hand stroking Tsuna's hip soothingly. When Tsuna thought he'd been able to relax to the best of his ability, Mukuro seemed to be able to sense it, and slipped the first joint of his index finger inside.

Tsuna squeaked and instinctively tensed up at the unfamiliar feeling, and Mukuro shifted his torso upwards so he could nuzzle Tsuna's cheek reassuringly.

Tsuna leaned in, rubbing his head against Mukuro's, before taking a few more calming breaths, and forcing himself to relax again. Once he had, Mukuro slowly inched the next joint of his finger in, and when Tsuna was able to keep himself relaxed, finally pushed it in to the knuckle.

Tsuna squirmed, trying to get used to the sensation. One finger fit okay, but he couldn't imagine a second finger being comfortable, let alone…

Mukuro kissed his cheek, smiled at him, and then used his free hand to grip Tsuna's cock.

Tsuna jolted and tensed, gasping as Mukuro slowly shifted his hand up and down Tsuna's length, spiking Tsuna's arousal and pleasure. Mukuro positioned his torso between Tsuna's legs again, eyes seizing Tsuna's as his tongue flicked lightly against the head of Tsuna's erection.

"_Ah!_" Tsuna cried out, panting hard. Mukuro's hand was moving on him almost painfully slowly, and the tip of his tongue only grazed against the head at long and irregular intervals, and the finger inside of Tsuna was stroking him deeply but at an even more glacial pace than Mukuro's hand on his cock, all together keeping Tsuna wildly aroused but far away from climax.

"Mukuro, Mukuro," Tsuna whimpered. His legs were trembling with the strain of keeping them up.

"Shh," Mukuro whispered, breath exciting Tsuna's erection further. The faint outline of half-materialized kitsune tails came into view, and one wrapped around each of Tsuna's legs all the way to the top of his thighs, supporting him while cool magic soothed the discomfort out of the muscles. "Relax, Tsuna, relax."

Tsuna gulped, but made himself lean back, and tried to relax again. He was so on fire from Mukuro's ministrations on his cock that it took him a minute to realize Mukuro had pressed a second finger inside of him – he only noticed when suddenly the pressure of the internal stroking increased.

"Feels good," Tsuna said, breathless and somewhat startled.

"Why are you surprised?" Mukuro asked, amused, nuzzling Tsuna's crotch. Tsuna moaned softly with pleasure and contentment.

It was a few minutes before Mukuro was able to insert a third finger, and by that point Tsuna was too dazed and overwhelmed by unfamiliar stimulation to be coherent – instead he just moaned again, and shifted his hips to try and bring Mukuro deeper.

Once he'd adjusted to that, and was capable of relaxing completely again, and Mukuro had stroked him for a few minutes, Mukuro said softly, "Are you ready for me, Tsuna?"

"Th-think so," Tsuna slurred, shivering with nervous anticipation.

He whined when Mukuro removed his fingers and repositioned himself with his knees braced on either side of Tsuna's hips. He spent a moment slathering more of the gel onto his erection, and then, eyes locked on Tsuna's, Mukuro's thumbs pried Tsuna wide, and he pushed the head of his cock inside.

Tsuna panted rapidly, and tried to calm his twitching muscles. Mukuro smiled at him, and eased another inch deeper before reaching up to twine his arms around Tsuna's neck, burying his nose in Tsuna's hair, as a third tail wrapped around Tsuna's back and torso to support him. Because of that, Tsuna was able to relax entirely, and hug Mukuro back tightly.

"Are you comfortable, Tsuna? Does it feel good? Are you happy?"

"Y-yeah," Tsuna mumbled, ducking his head to press his nose into the juncture between Mukuro's neck and shoulder. "Feels good, Mukuro. A-and… I'm happy. Really happy. Mukuro…"

"Good," Mukuro purred. "I'm glad. I'm going in deeper, okay?"

"O-okay."

Mukuro's arms shifted until his palms rested on the futon, though his chest was still pressed close to Tsuna's. Tsuna moved his own arms upwards, hugging Mukuro's neck as Mukuro slowly pushed in to his base.

"How does that feel? Still good?" Mukuro asked.

"Yeah."

"Good," Mukuro said, then went on breathily, "And how about this?"

Tsuna felt Mukuro's cock _expand, _just a fraction of an inch. Tsuna's eyes flew wide, fingernails digging into Mukuro's back, breathing so rapid he was practically choking on air.

"W-what – "

"Shapeshifter," Mukuro reminded him. He rubbed Tsuna's back soothingly. "I can stretch you more this way, then go back to normal, and you'll be loose enough that my thrusting won't hurt or chafe at all. But if you don't want me to – "

"N-no, it's… it's okay. Still feels good."

"Alright," Mukuro said after a beat. "The moment it feels just a little bit uncomfortable, say so."

"Okay." Tsuna pressed his cheek against the side of Mukuro's head, regaining control of his breathing even as Mukuro's girth widened just a little bit more. If Tsuna wasn't so hyper aware of every tiny sensation, he wasn't sure he'd have noticed each increase, as Mukuro waited for him to adjust to each minute change before advancing further.

Mukuro was rumbling quietly, Tsuna noticed, hands splaying against Mukuro's spine. A soft thrumming of pleasure and excitement, almost purring like a cat. He must be restraining himself a lot, Tsuna thought, to take each step of sex so slowly. But… even though Tsuna could tell Mukuro was fighting to restrain himself, he also got the sense that Mukuro was enjoying taking things so slowly, being able to luxuriate in every moment, every breath.

"Do you… feel good? Mukuro?" Tsuna couldn't help but ask.

"I do," Mukuro replied. "You're so hot and tight around me, Tsuna, it feels amazing."

"I'm glad," Tsuna sighed, resting his head against Mukuro's, a blissful smile on his face. "So then… it feels really good to, to… be inside…?"

"Yes," Mukuro breathed, a shiver of pleasure running through him as he swelled even more.

"Then, maybe… n-next time… I could…?"

Tsuna squeaked as Mukuro's human ears abruptly shifted up and back into fox ears, perked with eager excitement.

"You want a next time? You want to be inside me?"

Tsuna couldn't help but giggle at how giddy the kitsune sounded. "Yeah," he said, reaching up to scratch behind the fox ears. "Yeah, I… I do."

Mukuro twitched a little at the scratching – with embarrassment, Tsuna thought. He hadn't realized his ears had shifted, then.

"I want that too," Mukuro said at last, canting his head into Tsuna's touch, cock growing just a little bit more. "I want to rut with you again, Tsuna. I'd love to have you inside me. Tomorrow?"

"M-maybe," Tsuna mumbled. _Tomorrow _felt too soon to do this again for his nerves and body, but it was also his last certain chance. "I'll think about it. –Ah, th-that's a little bit…"

Immediately, Mukuro's cock returned to its original size, and Tsuna's gasped at the difference.

"O-oh, that's so nice," Tsuna sighed. Mukuro fit so comfortably inside him now.

"Mm, I'm glad. I'm going to move now, alright?"

"Yeah," Tsuna said, gripping Mukuro tightly.

Mukuro purred, and then his hips began to rock.

The kitsune didn't thrust to his base at all, instead dipping halfway before pulling back, angling his hips in such a way that his cock grazed against Tsuna's inner wall, which for some reason in one spot in particular had Tsuna crying out with stimulation.

"Mukuro, Mukuro," he panted as Mukuro went faster, pounded harder, "Mukuro Mukuro Mukuro – "

Tsuna's head tipped back and he screamed with release, Mukuro's teeth sinking possessively into his shoulder as his body followed Tsuna's into climax.

After a pulsating moment of the most exquisite ecstasy Tsuna had ever known, all the strength went out of his body, and he would have collapsed back if not for the tails supporting him. He was sticky and drenched with sweat, he'd just spurted cum onto Mukuro's abdomen, they should probably bathe – and check on Chrome, did she need food, was she lonely –

But he could barely keep his eyes open, and the moment Mukuro's tails gently eased him onto his back and released him, Tsuna fell asleep.

* * *

End A/Ns: hella


	11. Chapter 11

A/Ns: Aaaaaand back to the plot! :3

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 11

* * *

Tsuna woke up slow and groggy, a good warm ache permeating his body as if in reminder of the pleasure he'd given and received yesterday.

He was slightly disoriented to realize he wasn't in the shrine bedroom, but was rather back in the cave, snuggled up against fox-Mukuro's side, his tails tucked over Tsuna like a blanket. He must have carried Tsuna out here after they'd… had sex.

When Tsuna craned his head up, he could see Chrome curled just in front of him. She was awake, and grooming herself, and her ears came up when her eye met his.

"Tsunayoshi, I itch," she whined, sticking her snout in Tsuna's face. "I itch a lot."

"Ah, okay," Tsuna said, pulling himself onto his hands and knees. "Let me get the medicinal cream."

Mukuro's head lifted as Tsuna left his side, one ear half-twisting. He watched intently as Tsuna rubbed medicinal cream into Chrome's stitches.

"I think the ones in your eye are ready to come out," Tsuna said, slipping a hand under Chrome's jaw to tip her head up and take a closer look. Yeah, that wound had fully closed. "Mukuro, could I get some hot water?"

"Why don't you bathe and dress first?" Mukuro suggested mildly, causing Tsuna to shoot him a startled glance.

"Oh, um, if you want me to…" Tsuna said, brows drawing down with confusion.

"You still smell like sex," Chrome said helpfully. "A _lot _like sex. It's a little bit, um. Distracting."

Tsuna flushed. "_Oh. _Um, okay. I'll… I'll wash up, and get dressed," he agreed, all but leaping to his feet.

As usual, bare moments after he stepped under the waterfall, he was joined by Mukuro. The kitsune's touch wasn't as sensual and lingering as it had been before – which Tsuna hadn't quite realized until he felt the difference now – but there was more warmth and affection in it.

Tsuna wondered about that for a moment before he understood – Mukuro wasn't trying to actively seduce him at the moment, but he still enjoyed the process of bathing Tsuna.

Tsuna did, too. He might actually _miss _these daily baths.

Once Mukuro had toweled Tsuna dry and helped him dress – in yet another rich hitatare – Tsuna went back into the cave, and rifled through his medicine box. His new one, that Mukuro had bought him yesterday, with the leftover supplies from the old one tucked neatly inside.

Tsuna wondered what his mother would say, when she saw him come back with it. And probably dressed in something from the kitsune, too; his original two sets of clothes had mysteriously disappeared. Plus he had that comb for her. He hoped he wouldn't have to explain in front of any of the Nemachi villagers. Nana would approve of Tsuna helping the kitsune, but the people of Nemachi? Yeah right.

Mukuro brought him the kettle of hot water, and Tsuna set to work removing Chrome's eye socket stitches. A more difficult and tenuous task than putting them in for him, since he didn't have a lot of practice at it and the eye socket was a really tricky location to deal with. Plus, given that Chrome was now conscious and capable of movement, he had to keep telling her to hold still, stop moving, he'd hurt her if she jerked at the wrong time.

But eventually he got the stitches out, and cleaned the area where her right eye used to be as much as possible, then finally rubbed more medicinal cream into the area for good measure.

"There," Tsuna said at last, sitting back on his heels and using his arm to wipe the sweat off his brow. "Don't scratch or rub at it for a few days, okay? You don't want to reopen it."

"Okay," Chome agreed, guiltily lowering the front leg she was about to rub her face against. "What about the ones on my belly? Can those come out, too?"

"Not quite yet," Tsuna replied. "Tomorrow, probably. Then you, uh… won't need my help anymore."

"…Oh," Chrome said, head and ears going down as she realized what that meant.

Mukuro wordlessly trotted over and pressed his snout against Tsuna's side. Tsuna leaned against him, hand lifting to fist in the fur of Mukuro's lower jaw.

Then Chrome perked up a little and said, "But we're going to the summer solstice festival together, right?"

"Right," Tsuna confirmed, smiling.

"In Gesso? That way we can see Yuni," Chrome said, looking to Mukuro.

Tsuna looked at Mukuro, too, and when the kitsune gave a slight nod, he smiled and said, "Sure, I think we can do that. I mean, I'll have to check with my Mom, but I bet she'll be fine with it."

Shortly after that, Mukuro set out to get more food. Chrome dozed off with her head in Tsuna's lap, and so Tsuna stroked her absently while he let his mind wander.

He was starting to really worry about his mother. How she was doing, how much she was worrying about him, how the villagers were treating her, if she was making any headway on curing the spirit-curse. Which it had to be, the only magic in the area other than the kitsune's was that thread in the river, and according to what he'd learned from Mukuro, it couldn't be anything but a spirit.

But what kind of spirit? A river spirit that had been offended somehow seemed the most likely, given that its magic was, well, in the river, but according to Mukuro, the spirit had to be relatively new – why did the river only just now have a spirit linked to it? Maybe someone had been drowned in it, and had enough of a grudge to cling to the living world and transition into a spirit? But there had only been a thread of magic in the river – could magic that weak really be the source of a plague curse?

Gah, all he could do was speculate. He wasn't even anywhere near Nemachi right now. Maybe he should ask Mukuro to take him to the top of the mountain once he… once he had to leave. Tomorrow.

Thinking about leaving hurt. Tsuna really liked Mukuro and Chrome. He wished he could spend more time with them, get to know them even better, and… he flushed when he admitted it to himself, but he wanted to have sex with Mukuro again. Yesterday had felt _amazing. _And not only that, but he'd felt desired, cared for, comfortable, liked.

And… he really liked Mukuro, too.

Tsuna went still, then shook his head, trying to clear it. Okay, he'd been _sort of _aware that he was beginning to develop feelings for Mukuro, but he _shouldn't, _that was a _terrible _idea. Mukuro might like him, and like having sex with him, but kitsune taking long-term mates was rare, taking long-term _human _mates was even more so, and looking for any kind of fidelity or commitment from a kitsune Mukuro's age? That was just asking to get hurt.

No. He'd be lucky enough to have Mukuro, and Chrome, as friends. He shouldn't, _couldn't _look for more than that. Not if he didn't want to lose what he already had.

Tsuna firmly pushed that topic out of his mind.

So, tomorrow. What should he do when he left? Tsuna wanted to help his mother, and needed a good excuse for having been gone for so long anyway. He _would _ask Mukuro to take him to the lake at the top of the mountain, then. He'd see if there was a spirit there, then go back to Nemachi.

Mukuro had been right yesterday when he'd said that Tsuna wasn't a very good liar, but Tsuna couldn't let the villagers know he'd been with the kitsune – their reaction towards him aside, if they knew that Kotone had killed the mother kitsune, and there were only two half-grown cubs left… after the loss of the villagers in the hunting party, which had included their Village Head, of course the villagers would want revenge, and Tsuna wouldn't put it past them to try and hire another Demon Hunter. It was already bad enough that Tsuna had been the cause of Mukuro and Chrome's mother's death and Chrome's injuries, he'd never be able to forgive himself if he put them in _more _danger.

So… Tsuna would say he'd gotten separated from the hunting party in the confusion of the fight with the kitsune, which was true. He'd say he'd gotten lost and hadn't been able to go back right away, which was relatively true. He'd say he sensed the magic in the river, and went to investigate, which would be true after tomorrow. And then that he'd been able to get his bearings and make it back.

He wasn't sure if that would be enough to explain his not getting back for six or seven days, but… that was the best he could think of right now. And he would tell Nana the truth at the first available opportunity; Tsuna didn't like keeping secrets from his mother.

Mukuro returned, with a mostly-eaten deer carcass again, but he helped Tsuna cook his share this time while Chrome cheerfully gorged herself on the rest.

While he was eating, Tsuna asked Mukuro about taking him to the lake at the top of Nemachi's mountain after he took out Chrome's stomach stitches tomorrow.

The kitsune's ears went back. "Why?"

"I want to see if there really is a spirit there, and if there is, maybe even convince it to lift the plague," Tsuna explained.

Mukuro's ruff bristled, and he asked acidly, "Why? Let that village rot. It's no less than they deserve."

Oh boy. "I can understand why you think that, but – "

"I know what defense you'd give them, Chrome told me that you'd asked us to be merciful towards them," Mukuro cut him off, tone cold. "I have no intention of doing so. They're lucky I consider that disease a fitting end for them, for otherwise they would have to bear the brunt of a curse _I'd _manufacture, and that wouldn't be half as gentle. No, I'll drop you off within walking distance of the village. The only reason I'm bringing you back there at all is because your mother is there; otherwise I wouldn't let you back anywhere near it."

Five days ago, Tsuna wouldn't have dreamed of arguing with a kitsune, but now he protested, "It's not just for Nemachi's sake, you know. Spirits don't make plagues unless they're _hurting _somehow. Anyway, it's a medicine shaman's job to help humans and spirits and demons all coexist, even if one or both sides of a conflict aren't nice. Help isn't something you give because someone deserves it, it's something you give because it's the right thing to do. That's what Mom taught me."

"Good for you," Mukuro said coolly. "But I am not a medicine shaman, and I don't care about _the right thing to do. _That's a human concept anyway."

Tsuna pursed his lips. "Fine. But even if you don't bring me to the top of the mountain, I'll just go up there anyway. All you'll be doing is making _my _life more difficult."

Mukuro let out a thunderous growl that made Tsuna pale and flinch, and between one breath and the next, the kitsune had launched himself forward, forcing Tsuna onto his back and keeping him pinned down with his paws on either side of Tsuna's head.

"I'm tempted not to let you leave at all," Mukuro said in a throaty purr, the malice in his eyes making Tsuna go cold. "Better to keep you than let you help those repulsive people. I could even bring your mother here, as well, if you wanted. I like you, Sawada Tsunayoshi," he went on, tone gentling as he nuzzled a stiff Tsuna affectionately. "So long as you remain within my power, I am more than happy to take care of you, and give you a life of comfort and pleasure. Why should I give up so choice a human as you to a life of aiding the type of human I hate?"

Tsuna took a deep breath, and over his pounding heart, said, "Because if you kept me here against my will, I'd never forgive you, Mukuro."

Mukuro snarled, claws biting into the stone on either side of Tsuna's head, making Tsuna cringe. "Bold words, human boy," he hissed.

Tsuna felt the blood drain from his face.

"Big brother," Chrome's voice cut through meekly, "you're scaring him."

Mukuro stilled, and he lifted his head to gaze at Chrome for a long minute. When he looked back to Tsuna, his body shifted into human form. His eyes seized Tsuna's and refused to let him look away.

"Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay?" Mukuro asked quietly. "Or at least to abandon that village?"

Tsuna felt his eyes burning, and a lump rose in his throat, but he shook his head.

Mukuro stared at him, frustration and resignation writ clear on his face. Finally, he sat back on his heels, and Tsuna warily sat up.

"I apologize for scaring you," Mukuro said stiffly.

Tsuna folded his arms around Mukuro's neck, and he felt the kitsune tense with surprise.

"Consider the matter settled," Tsuna murmured in his ear, and Mukuro relaxed into his arms, his own gripping Tsuna to return the embrace.

He didn't like that Mukuro had scared him. But Mukuro obviously didn't like that Tsuna had lured his mother to her death, inadvertently or not, and if he could let that go, Tsuna could let a brief moment of fear pass. Especially since Mukuro had stopped when he realized Tsuna was frightened, and apologized. Anyway, Tsuna didn't want his last day with his first friends to end on a sour note.

"…I'll bring you to the lake at the top of the mountain tomorrow," Mukuro said dully when they finally disengaged from the hug.

"Thank you," Tsuna whispered, eyes stinging again. "Thank you so much, Mukuro."

Mukuro gave a rumble of dissatisfaction, but he darted Tsuna a hopeful look. "May I kiss you?"

Tsuna flushed, but nodded mutely. Mukuro practically seized Tsuna's face in his hands, kissing him deeply, fiercely, with all the misery of a lover being forced to say goodbye.

* * *

End A/Ns: I am not always good at predicting these things, but I think The Fox Bride has 1 or 2 more chapters + an epilogue left. 8) If I manage to have written this thing in a week I will be so hella proud of myself, omfg. I dunno if that's gonna happen, but it is at least a slight possibility, I think! Gonna try to stay optimistic while not jinxing myself. xD

Fun fact, the spirit (because of course there's gonna be one, I'm not so shoddy a writer that I would build that up only for it to be something else with no foreshadowing kthnx) is a KHR character, so feel free to try and guess which one before s/he shows up in the next chapter. ;D


	12. Chapter 12

A/Ns: This is the penultimate chapter! The epilogue may be included with the final chapter, I haven't decided yet. Depends on how long it is on its own I guess.

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 12

* * *

"I'll miss you, Tsunayoshi," Chrome said, licking Tsuna's cheek as he wrapped his arms around the fox's neck.

"I'll miss you too, Chrome," Tsuna said, sitting back and bringing his hands forward to scratch her cheeks and behind her ears affectionately. "But I'll see you at the summer solstice festival, and I'll come back to visit when I can, okay?"

"Okay," Chrome mumbled, expression slipping into sleepy bliss at the petting.

Tsuna smiled. "Just make sure you rest and don't push yourself at all until the festival, alright? You could still reopen your stomach injury."

"Uh-huh."

Giving her one last caress, Tsuna stood and looked around the cave. It was early afternoon; he'd removed Chrome's stomach stitches in the morning, and then kept the site of the injury under observation for a few hours to make sure there wouldn't be any foreseeable complications.

He went to pack up the last of his things. Put the last few tools away in the medicine box, made sure the jade comb for his mother was safely tucked inside, pack the bedroll –

Tsuna's fingers brushed over the lacquer box the beautiful ring had come in. He'd completely forgotten about that, and about Yuni's warning. She'd said there were other rings in it, hadn't she?

He was about to open the box and take a look when Mukuro's voice called from outside, "Are you ready yet, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna quickly tucked the box into the front of his clothes. "Yes, coming!" He pulled on the straps of the medicine box until it settled against his back, then, with a last wave to Chrome, left the cave.

Mukuro was dressed much as he had been for their date in Gesso, in a beautifully hand-painted men's kimono, hair done up in the same style, and yet another light application of make-up and perfume.

"I'll go with you to investigate the lake," the kitsune said. "And take you to the village afterwards. Hiking all the way down could take you a day or more, and I wouldn't want you to damage your new clothes and medicine box after I went to all the trouble of making you presentable."

Tsuna stared at him, then smiled, eyes bright. "Thank you, Mukuro. For everything."

Mukuro huffed, then cupped Tsuna's cheek with one hand and placed a soft kiss to his temple. "It's been my pleasure, Sawada Tsunayoshi," he purred. Tsuna blushed.

Mukuro grasped his hand and twined their fingers together, pulled Tsuna through the barrier, and then shifted them away.

As Mukuro had told him before, it was a longer journey than the one to Gesso, and Mukuro had to keep taking breaks because the extended shifting was disorienting and dizzying for Tsuna. But a little over an hour later, their last shift took them to the shore of a frozen lake.

Mukuro and Tsuna both stared. The surrounding pine trees' needles were covered with frost, and there was six inches of snow on the ground. Half the lake was solid ice, only thinning as it approached the edge that spilled over into a giant waterfall. On the opposite side of the lake was a gigantic structure of ice, spikes almost ten feet tall piercing the frigid air.

"That explains why there's still ice melt bolstering the river," Mukuro said dryly.

"Y-yeah," Tsuna replied, beginning to shiver violently, as much from the cold as from the overpowering feeling of magic in the air. "A-and also why there's magic in it, b-but not as much as there should be if a river spirit was the s-source. It's an ice s-spirit."

Mukuro glanced at him, then folded an arm as well as half-tangible tails around Tsuna's body. Tsuna leaned into the kitsune's warmth gratefully. With Mukuro there to help him, he wasn't afraid the way he would have been confronting this spirit on his own.

"Let's go," Tsuna said, and the two of them made their way towards the huge ice structure.

Sitting with his back to the lake, pressed up against the ice, was a spirit in the shape of a young boy with light brown hair, about nine or ten years old, arms hugging his knees to his chest, head buried in them. Braced inside the ice directly behind him was what had to be his body, forming a haunting back-to-back reflection.

The sound of feet crunching through snow brought the boy's head up sharply, fear and hope both shining in brown eyes.

Tsuna felt like he might choke on his heart. The spirit was transparent, which was all wrong; he should have been fully corporeal if he was powerful enough to encase the whole lakeside in snow and ice in summer. And why stick so close to his body? Usually, when a human made the transition to spirit upon their death, the process consumed the body, often leaving nothing behind to cremate.

And the poor child just looked so _sad._

Sad, and scared, and lonely.

"Hi there," Tsuna called out to him gently. "I'm Tsuna, a medicine shaman, and this is my friend Mukuro. Don't be afraid, we're here to help you. What's your name? Are you okay?"

The boy stared at him, fear dampening and hope shining brighter. "I… my name is Fuuta," he said tentatively. "A-and… I can't move. I want to go home, but I can't _move._"

Tsuna closed the distance between them, and knelt in front of Fuuta. "It's nice to meet you, Fuuta. Are you from Nemachi Village?" Fuuta nodded. "How did you get up here?"

"My Dad goes ice fishing here every winter, and he let me come this time," Fuuta replied. "But then there was a blizzard, and I got stuck, and I c-can't find my Dad, and I can't _m-move, _and it's been ages and ages but nobody found me until you."

"That sounds really scary," Tsuna said, blinking the stinging sensation out of his eyes. "I'm going to help you move, but I need to tell you something else scary first, okay? Can I hold your hands? I'm right here, I won't let you be lonely anymore, but there's something scary you need to know."

Fuuta stared at him, eyes wide and frightened, but he gave a weak nod. Tsuna gently took small transparent hands in his.

"Fuuta," he said, as gently as he could, "You… probably died in that blizzard."

Fuuta stiffened, and he shook his head rapidly, "No, no, I'm not dead, I'm right here, you can see me and talk to me, I'm not dead!"

All the pieces clicked into place. Fuuta didn't know he was dead, didn't _want _to know he was dead, and he couldn't give up his attachment to his body, so he'd gotten stuck to the spot where he'd died. And he must subconsciously be trying to make his body move, must desperately want to go back home, so his magic connected through ice melt in the river to Nemachi, and drained the energy out of the people there to fuel his attempts to live again. That's why they were getting sick.

"You're right here," Tsuna agreed. "I can see you, and talk to you. Because I'm a shaman. You turned into a spirit when you died, Fuuta, a really powerful ice spirit. That's super amazing, you know? Only one in ten thousand, or even one in twenty thousand people can do that. It can be as rare as one in _fifty _thousand, in some places. You're really special, Fuuta. But I think you got stuck coming out of your body, so you're still connected to it, and that's why you can't move."

Fuuta shuddered, and whimpered.

"I know that must be so scary to hear," Tsuna went on, fingers tightening around Fuuta's. "But being a spirit can be fun, and you don't have to be alone anymore, Fuuta. Spirits can go where they want, and make friends with other spirits, and help people. Humans give them offerings! An ice spirit as strong as you could easily protect a whole village in the winter, if you wanted, and they'd give you lots of presents in exchange. I can help you do that, or help you find friends, or help you with anything you want, really. But you have to finish the transition first, Fuuta. You have to let your body go."

Eyes glassy with tears, Fuuta's lower lip trembled. An icy wind picked up, howling around them.

"I'm hurting them, aren't I?" Fuuta whispered, awareness beginning to dawn in his expression. "I… I'm hurting my family, my friends, everyone in the village. I, I… I turned… into a b-bad spirit."

"No!" Tsuna said, hands shifting up to Fuuta's shoulders. "No, Fuuta, you're not a bad spirit. You're just scared, and lonely, and stuck. That's okay. It's okay to be scared, Fuuta. It's not your fault. I'm right here, Fuuta," Tsuna continued, seizing Fuuta's eyes with his own. "And I'll stay with you until you find friends you want to stay with, or people you want to protect. You don't have to be alone anymore."

Fuuta sat trembling for a moment more, then threw his arms around Tsuna's neck and burst into tears. The ice sculpture shattered, and Tsuna felt kitsune tails shift to shield them both.

Fuuta's corpse dissolved as his spirit body solidified.

"There, there," Tsuna murmured, stroking his hair. "It's okay, shh, it's okay. Everything will be okay."

By the time Fuuta's sobs had faded into shaky snuffles, the snow, frost, and ice on the lake were all gone.

"W-what… do we do now?" Fuuta asked at last.

"Well, my Mom is a master medicine shaman, and she's been helping the people in Nemachi, so we're going to go down and see her, okay? We can explain what happened to the villagers if you want, and you can think about whether you want to stay there and protect them, or look for a new home. Mom and I will help you with whatever you want to do, okay?"

"Okay," Fuuta mumbled.

Tsuna looked over his shoulder at Mukuro. The kitsune looked bored out of his mind, much to Tsuna's exasperation, but at least he hadn't interfered or made any snide comments.

"Would you be able to shift all three of us to Nemachi, Mukuro?" Tsuna asked.

"I can," Mukuro affirmed neutrally. "I'm not going all the way there, though. I'll drop you off within an hour's walk of it."

Tsuna held back a sigh, and instead gave Mukuro a smile. "Okay. Thanks, Mukuro. I appreciate it."

"You'd better," the kitsune huffed.

Turning back to Fuuta, Tsuna said, "Mukuro's a kitsune, and he can bring us to the bottom of the mountain really quickly with magic, okay?"

"Oh," Fuuta said, staring at Mukuro with wide eyes. "…Okay."

Tsuna stood, and Fuuta got to his feet, too, clinging to Tsuna's clothes. Tsuna placed one arm around the spirit's shoulders, and used his other hand to twine fingers with Mukuro again.

Between one breath and the next, space had shifted around them, and they were standing amongst the trees on the steep slopes of Nemachi's mountain.

"The village is about an hour that way," Mukuro said, pointing. "So this is where I'll leave you."

"Give me a minute?" Tsuna asked Fuuta, who reluctantly nodded, let go, and took a step back.

Tsuna then flung his arms around Mukuro's neck, and after a moment Mukuro let out a soft rumble and hugged him back.

"Thank you," Tsuna said again.

"I could say the same to you as well," Mukuro replied, leaning his head back just enough to meet Tsuna's eyes. "And there are many other things I would say, if not in this company," he added with a wry glance at Fuuta. Tsuna flushed. "But you'll be in our territory until the summer solstice festival, and I'll see you then if not before." Mukuro placed a warm kiss on Tsuna's cheek, then gently disengaged from the hug and stepped back. "We'll have a chance to say our goodbyes later."

Tsuna was about to say _yeah, _but instead he froze, eyes wide, as a barrier snapped up around them, and Kotone's voice said coldly, "Don't count on it."

Mukuro started to whirl around, only to be impaled on the naginata's blade, his blood splattering on a horrified Tsuna's face.

"_MUKURO!_"

* * *

End A/Ns: Happy New Year! 8D


	13. Chapter 13

A/Ns: I hope you all know that your reactions to the last chapter totally made my day. 8D

* * *

The Fox Bride

Chapter 13

* * *

Tsuna caught Mukuro as he fell, lowering him to the ground as carefully as he could and frantically trying to stop the bleeding. The naginata's blade had pierced him through beneath his heart and to the right of his spine, so the wound wasn't immediately fatal, but –

Mukuro coughed up blood, and panic and fear close to hysteria swelled within Tsuna as he took in the injury. A lung or the stomach or both had been damaged, and Tsuna couldn't fix that. Probably both, from the rate Mukuro was deteriorating. And Kotone had _twisted _when she wrenched the blade from his body, leaving a ragged, gaping rent.

"Mukuro, hang on, don't die, please don't die," Tsuna cried, cradling the kitsune in his arms, still trying to staunch the flow of blood because that was all he could do. Mukuro stared up at him, eyes glassy.

"Kill… that woman…" Mukuro choked out, not a command to Tsuna but a statement of his own intentions.

"I highly doubt that," Kotone said coolly, twirling the naginata into an at-rest stance.

Tsuna glowered at her through tear-filled eyes. Kotone's hair was unbound, just the slightest bit disheveled; her clothing had clearly been worn for a few days, and had a few small dirt and blood stains as well. Her face was somewhat gaunt, her complexion sallow; she must have only just recently escaped Mukuro's illusion maze. And since neither Tsuna nor Mukuro had noticed her presence until she put up the barrier, they must have shifted in practically on top of her – it was easy to miss changes in one's surroundings if the surroundings hadn't changed.

"Why are you doing this?" Tsuna asked, face hot, words half-garbled by oncoming sobs. "What did they ever do to you?"

"They're prey," Kotone said simply. "Do you ask the hawk why it kills the field mouse?"

"Carnivores have to hunt in order to survive," Tsuna snapped back at her. "But you – "

"I am the same," Kotone cut him off. "I am the daughter of a god, the wife of a god, the mother of a god. I am the greatest carnivore in the world. Without prey, the predator's existence is meaningless. For me, to hunt is to live. That's all."

Her dispassionate eyes ticked from Tsuna, to the dying Mukuro, then briefly over to Fuuta, trembling in terror behind a tree, before slipping closed.

"Such tiny animals are beneath me," Kotone scoffed. "I merely wanted to educate that insect on the consequences that arise when prey play at being predators, and now I have done so. Farewell, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Cower in fear that we may meet again, as all weak herbivores should."

Without another word, she turned and left.

Tsuna didn't waste another second thinking about her, instead turning his attention back to Mukuro, who coughed more blood.

"Hold on, Mukuro, please hold on," Tsuna whispered, before looking to Fuuta. "Fuuta, do you think you could get to Nemachi from here? Find Mom, bring her – she might be able to – if you hurry – "

Fuuta nodded, then spun and ran.

Tsuna slung the medicine box off his back, wanting to rummage through his supplies to see if he had anything that might help, but the movement caused the lacquer ring box to fall out of his clothes and onto Mukuro's chest.

Tsuna stared at it for approximately half a second before scrambling to throw it open. He took out the cushion that his own ring had sat on.

There was indeed a second layer, with six more rings resting upon it in a circle, one for each colored chip set around the center stone of Tsuna's ring. Red, yellow, blue, green, indigo, purple.

Realization hit Tsuna with all the force of a typhoon, his stomach churning with horrified nausea.

These were _blood wedding _rings! The designs were a little bit different from the ones Tsuna had seen before, but that's what they had to be.

And Yuni had said – Yuni wanted him to, to – she thought these would _save_ people?!

Mukuro's breathing rattled wetly. "Tsu… n…"

Tsuna stared at him, then looked back at the rings. A control ring for the shaman, which he already wore, and six subordinate rings, to be worn by the spirits, demons, or land gods the shaman forced to submit to his will. Similar to the linking spell, but in reverse – the shaman knew the location of the subordinate rings, could supersede their magic, could intuit their intentions. But permanent and unbreakable, and capable of forcing the subordinates to obey their shaman's will. He'd also heard that a shaman could boost his own power with his subordinates' – or boost theirs with his. With or without their consent.

Plus, the subordinate rings were crafted with powerful spells that prevented them from being removed once activated, and which would allow them to use their bearers' own magic to shift in size along with them if worn by shapeshifters.

Could these things really save Mukuro's life?

Now that Kotone – and her barrier – were gone, Mukuro could theoretically use magic again. This injury was beyond what even a six-tails' regenerative abilities could salvage, but if Tsuna could boost his power, would the magic become strong enough to keep him alive until help came?

Mukuro wouldn't last another few minutes otherwise, let alone the two hours that was the soonest Fuuta might be able to bring Nana here.

Tsuna didn't want Mukuro to die! If Mukuro died, it would be Tsuna's fault. Again. Mukuro could have just left Tsuna and Fuuta at the top of the mountain to hike down and this would never have happened. If Mukuro hadn't cared about him, wanted to help him, he wouldn't be dying in Tsuna's arms right now.

And what would happen to Chrome? How could Tsuna ever face her again, knowing he was the cause of her mother _and _her brother's deaths? He would be losing both of his first and only friends. And one of his friends would, in turn, be losing the person she cared for most in the world.

Tsuna _couldn't_ let Mukuro die. Not like this. If there was a way to save him, however morally questionable, however much Mukuro himself might hate him for it, Tsuna had to at least try it.

"I'm so sorry, Mukuro," Tsuna whispered, then picked up the indigo subordinate ring and slipped it onto the ring finger of Mukuro's right hand. Next he fished a small knife out of his medicine box, and quickly cut his own finger, first dripping blood onto the control ring to tie it to him, then onto the indigo subordinate ring to claim it, shakily reciting the only spell his father had ever taught him.

Golden-orange and indigo light erupted.

* * *

_One week later_

They were finally out of the mountains, but the road still sloped a little and every pebble or bump the cart rolled over made Tsuna nauseous. He would have gotten out and walked to escape the motion sickness, but he wouldn't have been able to keep up.

"Are you feeling okay, Tsuna-nii?" Fuuta asked, shifting over to sit next to him.

Tsuna smiled weakly. "Y-yeah, I'm… I'll be fine." Glancing up at his mother, who was driving the cart, Tsuna asked, "About how much further to Gesso, Mom?"

"Mmm, another hour, maybe?" Nana replied. "Oh, a little bit more than that, because we're picking up Chrome-chan from the kitsune shrine first."

Tsuna sat back with a groan. He wasn't sure why Chrome hadn't wanted to come with them for the journey from Morihime's shrine; they'd slept there last night and packed everything but what Chrome needed to get ready for the festival into the cart before they left this morning, in preparation for the kitsune to travel with them from now on. He decided to chalk her choice up to fox vanity and not wanting to risk her nice kimono getting dirty or disheveled on the long ride to Gesso. She didn't seem to like the idea of spending a lot of time on the road.

He was glad she'd agreed to come live with them in spite of that, though. Tsuna hated the thought of her either staying at the den alone, or having to live in a place like Gesso where all the humans were afraid of her, Byakuran would probably be insensitive enough to hurt, and only Yuni, whom Tsuna had been told was the spitting image of their mother's human form, truly cared about her.

Fuuta had decided to stay with them, too. When they'd realized that the ice spirit's mother was one of those killed by the disease, Nana had quickly all but adopted him as a second son. In theory Fuuta was only with them until he found a place to call his own, but they all seemed to take it for granted that he was there to stay. Tsuna was glad; Fuuta already felt like family to him, like a younger brother.

Tsuna was doubly appreciative for Fuuta at the moment; since Nana had to concentrate on driving the cart, Fuuta's company was the only buffer between Tsuna and a very resentful Mukuro, who hadn't so much as acknowledged Tsuna's existence since he'd woken up and seen the indigo subordinate ring on his finger. Even now, though he hadn't once glanced in Tsuna's direction, Mukuro's ire felt like claws buried in Tsuna's back.

Performing the blood wedding had packed more of a punch than Tsuna had expected. Mukuro's regenerative abilities had been more than bolstered; by the time Nana and Fuuta found them, the kitsune's wounds were fully healed, without even any scarring, though his magic had been completely drained and it took three days for him to regain consciousness. Tsuna himself hadn't been good for much of anything until a few days ago, either.

Last night, Chrome had privately assured Tsuna that her brother was just cranky because his magic wasn't recovering as quickly as he would have liked. Once he was back at full strength, Chrome had said, her brother was sure to at least start talking to Tsuna again – though she'd tacked on at the end, "…I think."

Tsuna grimaced just thinking about it. Mukuro hating him was painful enough; his refusal to speak to Tsuna at all would make life difficult, since they'd be traveling together from now on. A guardian, which Nana had told them was the polite word used for the creatures bound to a shaman by a subordinate ring, couldn't stand to be far from their shaman's side for long. The spells in the rings ensured it.

Tsuna privately thought that it might work both ways. Even just being ignored like this stung, not just emotionally, but almost _physically. _He didn't want to imagine how painful it would be if he and Mukuro were separated for any great length of time.

Finally they reached the kitsune shrine just outside of Gesso, where Chrome was already waiting for them. It was Tsuna's first time seeing her in human form, and of course, she was really cute, eye patch and all. She'd even done her hair up in the same style as Mukuro's.

Much to Mukuro's practically tangible annoyance, Yuni and Byakuran were waiting with her as well. Tsuna was a little bit relieved, though – it meant he had the chance to get out of the cart and walk and talk with the three of them without Mukuro's pointed silence ruining the atmosphere. He and Yuni did have to keep yanking Byakuran's attention back to them, and changing the topic whenever the land god tried to bring up the blood wedding rings, though; apparently Byakuran really w_as _dead set on tormenting Mukuro, so it was all Tsuna and Yuni could do together to keep him under control.

When they finally reached Gesso, the festival was well underway. Though Nana said she would stay with the cart and guard it so they could all have fun, Mukuro refused to budge, so the rest of them went around the festival, visiting the stalls, playing games, watching performances.

Yuni couldn't stay with them long; given that her grandfather was the district lord, and she was an apprentice shrine maiden, she had two sets of obligations to fulfill during the festival. And once she'd gone, Byakuran lost interest in them pretty quickly and disappeared. So for the rest of the day, it was just Nana, Tsuna, Fuuta, and Chrome, and they had so much fun that Tsuna was startled to realize that it had gotten dark.

"They're going to do the fireworks soon," Fuuta exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Let's go find a good place to watch them from, then," Nana said warmly, taking his hand and leading him uphill.

Chrome started to follow, then looked back at Tsuna when she noticed he wasn't moving. "Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna stared at the ground for a few minutes, then took a deep breath, let it go, and smiled at Chrome. "You go on ahead. I'll… watch from somewhere else."

Chrome blinked, and then understanding dawned. "Okay. …Good luck."

"Thanks," Tsuna said, and once she was out of sight, muttered, "I'll need it."

Tsuna walked back to the cart. Mukuro was sitting in the driver's seat, staring up at the sky, expression unreadable. He didn't so much as blink or twitch even when Tsuna sat down next to him, and of course he didn't acknowledge Tsuna's arrival whatsoever.

They sat in uncomfortable, chilly silence for a few minutes as Tsuna tried to gather his words. He'd never been much good at expressing himself, but… he had to try.

"Man, it sure is crowded here, huh?" Tsuna began awkwardly, with a short, forced laugh. "The day went by so fast, too. It's weird. I've been to the summer solstice festival in bigger towns before, but I don't think time ever went by so quickly before. But then, I've never been able to go to a festival with friends before. It's always just been me and Mom, so… it's nice. Having a bigger family now."

No response. Not even a glance. Of course.

If he didn't say what he wanted to say straight out, instead of trying to circle around it, he probably wasn't going to make any progress.

So Tsuna mustered his courage and dove right in. "Chrome said that she thought you'd start talking to me again once your magic recovers. I think she was just trying to make me feel better, though. Personally, I bet you're holding out for an apology." Just the tiniest, nearly imperceptible of twitches, but that was more than Tsuna had gotten in a week.

"I don't doubt you could do it, too," Tsuna went on, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them, arms folded around his legs. "I think you're the type of person who could hold a grudge forever if you wanted to. But I hope you won't. Because I'm not going to apologize."

The air seemed to chill. Tsuna swallowed dryly, and soldiered on, "It's… it's not that… I mean, I know what I did… was bad. Really, really bad. And selfish. But if I apologized, that would be like saying I regret it, and I don't. I never will. You would have _died _otherwise, Mukuro. Chrome would have lost you, _I _would have lost you, and it would have been my f-fault, like… like y-your mother's death was my fault, and, and…"

Tsuna choked down a sob. He couldn't lose his composure, not yet. He wouldn't get through to Mukuro if he broke down in tears.

"…I had a few minutes at best to make a decision," Tsuna whispered once he'd managed to control his breathing again. "Save you with a blood wedding, or let you die. And I… I couldn't let you die. Because then I'd be alone again, and I didn't want to go back to what it was like before I had friends. S-so… I know why you're mad, and I don't blame you for being mad, but… I hope you realize that what you're doing is like telling me that you want me to regret saving your life. That you'd r-rather I have let you die. And that, that's just… I don't think that's how you actually feel, so, I, I really w-wish you'd… _talk _to me, at least. It's okay if you hate me, but… please, d-don't… ignore me like this."

Tsuna's voice broke more times during that speech than he wanted to admit, and it was a real struggle to keep from crying, both while he was talking and after he'd finished. But he couldn't cry yet. Not if there was still a chance that Mukuro would listen to him.

The minutes stretched on. Just when Tsuna was about to give up hope, Mukuro sighed.

"That's so cruel, Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said. "If you realize that I'm well within my rights to be angry, why can't you grovel a little?"

Tsuna hiccupped, and he stared at Mukuro with wide, tear-bright eyes.

Mukuro shot him a flat look. "If you start crying, this conversation ends. You look cute enough on the verge of tears, I suppose," he went on airily, surveying Tsuna's face. "But crying is ugly and disgusting and I am not going to put up with it right now."

"O-okay," Tsuna whispered.

Mukuro shifted so that he sat facing Tsuna, and their eyes met for the first time in a week. "I am going to set some conditions for my accepting this," Mukuro said coolly, holding up his right hand to indicate the indigo guardian ring. "If you agree to them, or we negotiate to my satisfaction, I'll consider the matter settled. Given you didn't ask my consent before putting this on me, I think that's more than fair, don't you?"

"That's… Yeah. That's fair," Tsuna agreed tentatively.

"I'm glad you think so. My conditions are as follows: first, this will be an equal partnership. I don't follow you, and I don't serve you, and you are not to treat me as such, nor take my compliance with any decision or action of yours for granted. I am free to live my life as I choose and make my own decisions without consulting you first. Do you want to negotiate that point, or accept it as is?"

"Accept it," Tsuna said.

"Good. Second, you are to keep using the advantages now at your disposal to a bare minimum. I'd prefer it if you could avoid using them at all, but I understand that extenuating circumstances do arise and there may come a time when you begin to feel that you need to exercise the power you have over me now. So instead, I want your word that every time you give me an order and require that I obey, every time you tap my power without permission, every time _my _free will is compromised because of this ring, without your first asking for my consent to whatever it is you do with me, you owe me a rutting, in a manner of my choosing, during which I am not obligated to give you pleasure in exchange. Do you want to negotiate that point, or accept it as is?"

"…Negotiate," Tsuna mumbled after a minute of thought. "Um… I don't think I know enough about sex to know all the points I'd want to ask about, either."

Mukuro tilted his head, eyes hooded. "Alright, how's this: I will tell you what I wish to do before I begin, and if I want to do something you are vehemently against, we can negotiate a compromise on a case by case basis. But if we can't come to an agreement, I will give you a final offer, which you must accept or do me a favor of my choosing unrelated to sex, which you are _not _allowed to negotiate."

Tsuna went over that a few times in his head, before finally giving a short nod. "…Okay. Um, anything else?"

"Yes, there is one more thing. You are to maintain your appearance to my satisfaction," Mukuro said airily. "Which means you are to bathe daily, groom yourself daily, dress in garb I approve of, and moderate your scent and breath so that you smell and taste pleasant."

"That's not always possible while we're living on the road," Tsuna protested. "I'll do my best, but that's all I can promise. You can make suggestions if you think I could be doing something more, but _I _decide if it's possible to do what you ask or not. And if I tell you to drop it, you drop it for the rest of the day."

Mukuro wrinkled his nose and sulked a little bit, but at last he gave a prim nod. "Very well. Are we in agreement, then, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

The kitsune extended his hand.

Without hesitation, Tsuna took it. "Yeah. We are. Thank you, Mukuro."

"My pleasure," Mukuro replied dryly.

Tsuna smiled shyly, heart pounding with hope. "So then, um… can I ask you something?"

Mukuro quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You're… probably not still, um, still courting me, right?"

"No, I'm not," Mukuro replied, and Tsuna tried not to let those words cut too deeply. It was no more than he'd already assumed, so it shouldn't hurt, he wouldn't let it.

Then Mukuro gave him a sly smile that made Tsuna's stomach flutter, and went on, "Don't weddings signify the end of a courtship for humans, too?"

Tsuna's eyes flew wide. Mukuro laughed softly, then leaned to kiss Tsuna's cheek as fireworks went off above them.

* * *

End A/Ns: So there you have it, The Fox Bride! And I did in fact finish the rough draft on this chapter on 1/1/2014, one week after writing the first; it was just very late and I had to get to bed so I didn't have time to reread for edits or write the end notes, which in this case are going to be a bit long. 8D;;

A brief chapter note – I wanted to elaborate on Kotone's "daughter of a god, wife of a god, mother of a god." Kotone is like Yuni, in that she's the daughter of a human and a supernatural creature (in this case, a land god). Such people are human, but generally with special powers, abilities, and/or attributes. In my premise, there is no real "halfway" being a land god, spirit, or demon; you are or you aren't. But a human sired or born by a supernatural creature, if they mate with that type of supernatural creature, can sire or bear that type of supernatural creature. i.e. if Yuni ever had children with a kitsune, the kids would be kitsune; and as Kotone had a child with a land god, the child is a land god. (Three guesses who and the first two don't count. ;D)

With that out of the way, I'd like to thank you all so much for reading my fic! It means a lot to me when people like what I'm doing enough to stick with it. =^_^=

To those who expressed disappointment about TFB ending, never fear! It is the first in an intended series, and the muse is still running strong, I think. :) I do have to return to work and real life commitments, so no way in hell am I doing daily (sometimes twice or thrice daily) updates again; however, it is my goal to be able to update the next installment, and ideally the ones that come after it, on a weekly basis.

Some of you may wonder why, if this is all part of the same series, I'm going to separate them out as installments. Well, for starters, I want practice writing complete stories (which each installment is going to be), and honestly keeping different story arcs as separate stories feels better to me aesthetically. It helps me keep my plots organized, too, and I can pause for breaks between installments if necessary and not feel guilty about missing updates.

The first few installments in the Medicine Shaman Tsuna series are going to be about how Tsuna meets his guardians – and that said, it's not a purely 6927 series; it's going to be Tsuna/Guardians, as well as Guardians/Guardians. I really want to explore in depth all of their dynamics with each other, and hopefully portray the development of a group that, despite their differences, care deeply about each other and are comfortable being sexual within the group. Which is my favorite set-up for KHR anyway. ;D

The reason TFB is just 6927 is because Mukuro is the only guardian, and thus the only romantic/sexual interest for Tsuna; we meet the next guardian in the next installment, and that fic will develop his relationship to both Tsuna _and _Mukuro, and the next guardian introduced after that will begin a dynamic with the three already present, etc. etc. until they're all there.

This may or may not be within the realms of your personal shipping tastes, so I'll understand if you don't want to read past TFB, but if you liked what you read here, I hope you'll at least give the series a shot. It's not like the 6927 will go away; there will just be more to it. 8D;;

If you have any questions about the series, feel free to shoot me an ask on tumblr! There's a link to my blog in my profile. :)

Thank you all once more for reading, and I hope you'll join me for the next installment of the Medicine Shaman Tsuna series, Cat Scratch Fever, which I hope to be able to post the first chapter of within a week. (My aim is to post it on Monday, because Monday would work well for me as a weekly update day, but no promises, lol.)


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